"They can't speak. They can't think. Functionally, they're living corpses. The only thing separating them from the dead is the fact that they're still breathing."
The S.W.O.R.D. dical examiner lowered his clipboard with a grim expression.
"This kind of procedure was outlawed decades ago. Late seventies."
The entire facility had already been sealed off.
anwhile, Drex Valen's phone had been ringing nonstop.
He casually tossed it aside and watched it vibrate itself halfway off the table.
"Looks like a lot of people are suddenly very concerned about making impulsive decisions."
So officials had sent representatives to the scene in person.
Most avoided showing up themselves for obvious political reasons.
The highest-ranking visitor was only a colonel.
And naturally, even he had been stopped outside the periter.
"Director, we can't let this go."
Several S.W.O.R.D. agents spoke with genuine fury burning in their eyes.
"It doesn't matter who owns this place. We need to kill every last one of them."
These weren't brainwashed operatives.
Drex had deliberately loosened psychological conditioning protocols for so agents within S.W.O.R.D.
Right now, outrage had overridden self-interest completely.
Or maybe sothing deeper was surfacing.
Drex suspected it had more to do with instinct.
Predators recognizing another predator encroaching on humanity's place in the food chain.
Fear translated into righteous anger.
Humanity's subconscious urge to eliminate threats.
"That won't happen," Drex said calmly. "In about ten minutes, the President and Congress will call personally."
The room fell silent.
"You're saying we're just going to ignore this?" one agent asked in disbelief.
"Not exactly." Drex stretched lazily before continuing. "I looked into the historical records. Humans fought several wars against vampires in the past."
He paused.
"They ended with peace treaties."
The agents stared at him like he'd just announced gravity was optional.
"A peace treaty? With vampires?"
"No one is immune to the temptation of immortality, kid."
Drex leaned against the table.
"Human governnts agreed to provide controlled blood supplies in exchange for the Vampire Empire ceasing open predation."
He gave a faint smile that held absolutely no humor.
"That's also why blood banks are always running dry."
Nobody spoke.
"The unpaid blood donations collected from Arican citizens?" Drex continued. "A huge percentage gets redirected to feed vampires."
Soone imdiately objected.
"Then why not capture them and study them instead? If immortality is real, humanity could reverse-engineer it."
"Because vampires have existed for centuries." Drex answered instantly. "Old money. Old influence. Finance, weapons manufacturing, real estate, politics. They're buried deep inside the system."
He tapped the table lightly.
"Congress has vampire-backed politicians. Entire lobbying networks exist to protect them. The last war fizzled out because too many powerful people benefited from keeping them alive."
"And more importantly," he added, "the U.S. governnt profits from them."
The room darkened emotionally.
"Vampire-controlled industries pay nearly two hundred billion dollars in taxes annually. That's close to ten percent of total federal tax revenue."
Several agents looked sick.
"A lot of black-budget operations only exist because vampire money quietly funds them."
Right then, Drex's phone rang again.
President.
Congressional ergency line.
Right on schedule.
"The Vampire Elders finished negotiations with them already," Drex said.
Then he activated the room projector and broadcast the live eting feed for everyone to see.
An elegant elderly man appeared onscreen.
Silver hair.
Tailored black suit.
Perfect posture.
And eyes that were very obviously inhuman.
"The Blood Clans have obeyed the treaty faithfully," the vampire elder stated calmly. "We have honored the ceasefire signed between the Vampire Empire and the twenty-eight allied human nations."
"We have never sought another war."
"We have never targeted civilians belonging to treaty nations."
A blond congressman slamd his hand against the table.
"What about the blood farm in New York?!"
The elder remained perfectly composed.
"I was unaware of the operation until recently. The individual responsible later confessed to personally."
He folded his hands together.
"According to his records, none of the captured individuals were Arican citizens or nationals of the original treaty states."
Several people in the room looked horrified.
Not because the excuse was convincing.
Because so politicians actually seed willing to accept it.
"The Blood Clans have no interest in provoking the United States governnt," the elder continued. "We do not hunt Arican civilians."
"But you preyed on humans," the congressman snapped. "You violated the agreent."
The elder's expression finally hardened.
"My people were hungry."
The temperature in the room seed to drop several degrees.
"If starving vampires suddenly flooded Arican streets, what then?"
"We require food."
"We already provide you food!" another official shouted angrily. "Arican blood reserves are below ergency thresholds because of your species!"
"People are dying during surgery because hospitals don't have enough blood!"
"And that blood is being consud by you and your clans!"
The elder actually laughed.
Coldly.
"Senator Glenn," he said smoothly, "allow to remind you that the Blood Clans pay for every single unit we receive."
He revealed his fangs openly now, no longer bothering to hide them.
"Your governnt asks citizens to donate blood for free. Volunteers line up outside donation drives every holiday season."
"You pay your own citizens nothing."
"But every one hundred milliliters of plasma purchased by the Blood Clans costs us five hundred dollars."
He leaned forward slightly.
"We acquire food through equivalent exchange."
"Nothing is given freely."
"If hospital patients die from shortages, that is not because of vampire hunger."
His smile sharpened.
"It is because your governnt values profit more than human life."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Everyone in the room knew he wasn't entirely wrong.
The blood shortages existed because governnts sold massive quantities of donated blood to vampires for enormous profit margins.
Free donations in.
Premium vampire contracts out.
A perfect business model.
"And let us not forget," the elder continued smoothly, "the Blood Clans are among the most reliable taxpayers in the nation."
"The combined industries and private holdings of North Arican vampire families contribute over two hundred billion dollars annually to the United States governnt."
"Federal revenue totals approximately 3.3 trillion."
"We account for nearly ten percent."
No one interrupted him.
Because everyone already knew.
Vampires had existed too long.
Their influence ran too deep.
Destroying them overnight would destabilize entire sectors of the Arican economy.
"Many governnt expenditures cannot pass through official channels," the elder said with a faint smile. "Who do you think quietly pays for those?"
The eting dissolved into argunts.
Threats.
Compromises.
Political bargaining drenched in hypocrisy.
And in the end, just like before...
Humanity signed another peace agreent with the vampires.
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