Borrowing a bit
Oct. 13th, 2003 09:59 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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chesamus because her entry gave me an idea. (Hope you don't mind, Ches!)
This is a small interlude that fits in near the end of Vegas Blood in my Chicago Series posted over on dueSlash. I understand that the likelihood of Las Vegas having such a massive power outage is probably close to nil. Ah well, c'est la vie. Or le mort, as the case may be. ;o) Creeping in at 795 words.
Vegas Night
by JennyB.
It’s dark for me all the time now. I’m alone in my 9000 square foot adobe house in the desert, living underground during the day and going out at night to do business. The lights on the Strip make it seem like daytime sometimes, but it hasn’t been all that long since I saw the sun last. I still remember what it looked like, what it felt like on my face.
The guys who work for me think I’m a nutcase. Who’s to say they’re not right? I mean, what are you supposed to think when your boss moves lock, stock and barrel into the fallout shelter under his house? Nero didn’t even blink an eye, though. He still brings me my glass of cold buttermilk every afternoon when I wake up. Makes me wonder just what the real Armando was like.
I haven’t even had to change my hours. All the important business goes on after dark in this town. Great place for a vampire to be.
I wonder what it’s gonna be like, though, when I go back home to Chicago. I’m gonna make it back, I know that now. No one can kill me unless they know enough to try and stake me or cut my head off. But who the hell is gonna believe this? I have my moments of doubt and I’m living it. So to speak.
I sense the sunset, feel the prickle of the change in the air along my forearms, and cut off my thoughts for the moment. I’m hungry, didn’t feed last night, so it’s been a couple of days. I need to go out and find dinner.
After showering and dressing, I call out to Nero that I’m going out alone and for him to tell Marco I’ll be back in a couple of hours. He’s talking to me, but I don’t listen; I just keep trotting up the stairs. I’m looking forward to the glow of the Strip tonight. I need to see light right now.
My mind’s still on Chicago as I surface and head outside for my little black Porsche, the car Armando drives when he wants to drive. I stop dead when I don’t see the aura that usually hangs over the city. It’s pitch black outside, the desert painted in blacks and dark grays by the dim starlight.
“Nero!”
He’s outside in less than thirty seconds. “Yes, sir.”
“What the hell’s going on?”
“Well, sir, I tried to explain as you were leaving that the city is dark tonight. One of the boys from the casino called. There was a massive power failure. Someone overloaded a couple of transformers at the edge of the city limits and it started a domino effect. Some believe it might be sabotage, but I understand that Mr. Iguana is not concerned. His possessions are secure.”
“Why do we have power?”
“Back-up generator, sir.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” Dumb of me to forget that. I’d studied the damn house enough when the Feds hired me. Lucky for me Nero’s working for me in more than one way.
I stare at the dark and remember being up North with Benny, how dark it got out at night and how much the fire felt like this cocoon of safety around us. I push my power out and search the blackness for him, but he’s not there. He’s in Chicago with his new partner.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”
Nero’s voice startles me and my power slams back into me as I reel it in. It shakes me up and I realize I need to go out and find some donors before I try to eat my butler.
“No, Nero, thanks. See you in a while.”
I feel kind of like a zombie as I get into the Porsche and start it. I think it must be a sign that this place of all places is dark tonight. I’d wanted to see light and it’s not there. I’m a ‘creature of the night’ and I better get used to it, I guess.
As I pull out of the drive onto the wide, deserted street, I tap into the black place inside myself. I close my eyes, driving along the memory of the road, sensing the pavement under me, seeing the lines in my mind’s eye. It must be a mile before I open them up again and I’m still on the road. The car hasn’t even crossed the center line.
Closing in on the big city, I start to feel the rustle of humanity still moving and grooving even without the bright lights. I squeeze the leather on the steering wheel and smile to myself, driving into the blackness and letting it swallow me whole.
chesamus because her entry gave me an idea. (Hope you don't mind, Ches!)This is a small interlude that fits in near the end of Vegas Blood in my Chicago Series posted over on dueSlash. I understand that the likelihood of Las Vegas having such a massive power outage is probably close to nil. Ah well, c'est la vie. Or le mort, as the case may be. ;o) Creeping in at 795 words.
Vegas Night
by JennyB.
It’s dark for me all the time now. I’m alone in my 9000 square foot adobe house in the desert, living underground during the day and going out at night to do business. The lights on the Strip make it seem like daytime sometimes, but it hasn’t been all that long since I saw the sun last. I still remember what it looked like, what it felt like on my face.
The guys who work for me think I’m a nutcase. Who’s to say they’re not right? I mean, what are you supposed to think when your boss moves lock, stock and barrel into the fallout shelter under his house? Nero didn’t even blink an eye, though. He still brings me my glass of cold buttermilk every afternoon when I wake up. Makes me wonder just what the real Armando was like.
I haven’t even had to change my hours. All the important business goes on after dark in this town. Great place for a vampire to be.
I wonder what it’s gonna be like, though, when I go back home to Chicago. I’m gonna make it back, I know that now. No one can kill me unless they know enough to try and stake me or cut my head off. But who the hell is gonna believe this? I have my moments of doubt and I’m living it. So to speak.
I sense the sunset, feel the prickle of the change in the air along my forearms, and cut off my thoughts for the moment. I’m hungry, didn’t feed last night, so it’s been a couple of days. I need to go out and find dinner.
After showering and dressing, I call out to Nero that I’m going out alone and for him to tell Marco I’ll be back in a couple of hours. He’s talking to me, but I don’t listen; I just keep trotting up the stairs. I’m looking forward to the glow of the Strip tonight. I need to see light right now.
My mind’s still on Chicago as I surface and head outside for my little black Porsche, the car Armando drives when he wants to drive. I stop dead when I don’t see the aura that usually hangs over the city. It’s pitch black outside, the desert painted in blacks and dark grays by the dim starlight.
“Nero!”
He’s outside in less than thirty seconds. “Yes, sir.”
“What the hell’s going on?”
“Well, sir, I tried to explain as you were leaving that the city is dark tonight. One of the boys from the casino called. There was a massive power failure. Someone overloaded a couple of transformers at the edge of the city limits and it started a domino effect. Some believe it might be sabotage, but I understand that Mr. Iguana is not concerned. His possessions are secure.”
“Why do we have power?”
“Back-up generator, sir.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” Dumb of me to forget that. I’d studied the damn house enough when the Feds hired me. Lucky for me Nero’s working for me in more than one way.
I stare at the dark and remember being up North with Benny, how dark it got out at night and how much the fire felt like this cocoon of safety around us. I push my power out and search the blackness for him, but he’s not there. He’s in Chicago with his new partner.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”
Nero’s voice startles me and my power slams back into me as I reel it in. It shakes me up and I realize I need to go out and find some donors before I try to eat my butler.
“No, Nero, thanks. See you in a while.”
I feel kind of like a zombie as I get into the Porsche and start it. I think it must be a sign that this place of all places is dark tonight. I’d wanted to see light and it’s not there. I’m a ‘creature of the night’ and I better get used to it, I guess.
As I pull out of the drive onto the wide, deserted street, I tap into the black place inside myself. I close my eyes, driving along the memory of the road, sensing the pavement under me, seeing the lines in my mind’s eye. It must be a mile before I open them up again and I’m still on the road. The car hasn’t even crossed the center line.
Closing in on the big city, I start to feel the rustle of humanity still moving and grooving even without the bright lights. I squeeze the leather on the steering wheel and smile to myself, driving into the blackness and letting it swallow me whole.
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no subject
Date: 2003-10-13 05:16 pm (UTC)This line kills me. Funny, sad and dark. I'm really loving the concept of vampire Vecchio [who knew?]. Who the hell would believe it, indeed? ^_^
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Date: 2003-10-13 07:11 pm (UTC)I'm glad you liked Ray as a vamp...something about seeing him in CotW made this really click for me.
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Date: 2003-10-13 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-13 07:09 pm (UTC)Here...go to here (http://www.dueslash.com/archive/1083.html) and read Vegas Blood, the story of how Vecchio becomes a vamp.
Thanks for the comments! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Something took hold of me over a year ago and I've written 5 installments in this AU series about Vecchio as a vampire and Fraser and RayK as werewolves. I'm very proud of it!
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Date: 2003-10-13 07:12 pm (UTC)See, I thought I remembered hearing something about Vegas being dark several years ago. Thanks for comfirming my vague memory!
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Date: 2003-10-13 09:34 pm (UTC)Wonderful because I can really see this - glad you think I can lay any claim to inspiration for this. I'm setting my evening aside to read the rest of your AU...
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Date: 2003-10-13 10:12 pm (UTC)For best results, read in this order:
Vegas Blood
Chicago Midnight
Chicago Moon
Chicago Pack
Chicago Mate
I do hope you enjoy it! I'm currently working on #6 in the series, tentatively titled Chicago Souls.
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Date: 2003-10-14 02:39 am (UTC)Anyway. fabulous, wonderful, and every other superlative I can't get in my head right now. You're brilliant!
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Date: 2003-10-14 03:57 am (UTC)And thank you so much for the comments about the series. I'm blushing! I'm so glad you liked it. I'm very proud of it.
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Date: 2003-10-14 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-14 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 05:00 am (UTC)Deidre
Date: 2003-10-20 01:01 pm (UTC)Would he drop in, bite your neck, and redo your bedroom in mock-Georgian Gothic frills before leaving?