Birth of a Dark Nation (15 page)

"Like what?"

"Loyalty."

I exhaled.

"Victor, I don't know what I can do to prove
my loyalty to you. I'm just a regular dude, you know? A regular
dude in a crazy situation with a guy I really, really like. When it
comes to Dante, I promise I'll treat him right. When it comes to
your uncle and Magdalene House, I promise I'll do my very best to
serve these clients. But when it comes to you, I don't know what
you want from me. I've seen and heard a lot of wild shit as it is.
All I can do is promise you that everything I have seen and heard
stays with me all the way to the grave. I have nothing to gain by
running my mouth and everything to lose. So, I mean, I don't know.
What else can I say to you to prove I'm on your side?"

"There's nothing you can say. But there's
something you can do."

"And that is?"

"You can't tell Dante anything I am about to
tell you, but I want you to go on a reconnaissance mission for
me."

"Reconnaissance? Who do you want me to spy
on? That kid Farid?"

"No. Farid is on his own. Once a Djinn lays
claim to a human, only the human himself can get out of it."

"So who then?"

"Nightwalkers."

"Nightwalkers?"

"Yes. Real vampires."

I stroked my goatee.

"Like the Razadi, vampires often divide
themselves into smaller clans, but they are more formalized, like
clubs. More like secret societies, actually. There are all these
social rules and caste systems and specialized roles. Razadi, we're
just laid back and observe deference. But vampires…it's like a
complicated aristocracy."

"I see."

"The Djinn told us that vampires had our
brother, Orlando."

"Why would they have him?"

"I don't know. Daywalkers and nightwalkers
have a truce that's held up for a century. They don't bother us so
we don't bother them. Hypothetically, Razadi would always have the
upper hand. If they fucked with us, all we'd have to do is wait
until daylight and we win. They either die in the sun or we
discover their hiding places and stake them all to death."

"So why don't you?"

"We never had a reason to. And they never had
a reason to come after us. There are only a few dozen Razadi and we
keep to ourselves. But…"

"What?"

"It's possible that the nightwalkers took
Orlando to try to learn why we can walk in the sun and they can't.
We already know that they have him. We've got to find him and get
him back before they kill him."

"And you're sure the vampires have him here
in DC?"

"Yes. Djinn have no good reason to lie to a
daywalker. If Morlas says the Anubis Society has our brother, then
they probably do."

"So you want me to infiltrate the Anubis
Society, stake the vampires, rescue Orlando, and bring him back?" I
asked excitedly.

"No, stupid," Victor said, rolling his eyes.
"I just want you to go to their mansion and scope it out. Pretend
to drop off a package and get lost in their house. Take note of
everything you see. Report back to me."

"This sounds hella dangerous."

"It could be. But it will be the daytime. The
vampires can't hurt you then. It will probably just be some idiot
rent-a-cop at a front desk who barely has a GED. Surely you can
outwit somebody like that."

"Victor, why should I be the fall guy? You
and Dante…you're stronger. You can actually fight a vampire."

"You want to know why, Justin? It's simple.
You're not Razadi and I need to know that I can trust you anyway.
That's all there is."

"And if I do this, you'll give me a
break?"

"I'll be honest, man. This is about as nice
as I get."

"You're nothing if not honest. Fuck it, I'll
do it."

Victor nodded.

"I'm glad."

"But let's take it a step further…we can do
better than just scoping out the house…"

"Thank you all so much for coming out today.
I must confess that I am not a man of many words. In fact, I always
considered myself to be fairly awkward. When I came to Magdalene
House, I just wanted to use my computer skills in ways that made a
difference in the community. Over the years, something happened
that even I didn't expect: I fell in love with Magdalene House.
What began as merely a job turned out to be a passion for serving
others. The women and families that are served by this wonderful
organization are forever changed for the better. We give them a
roof over their heads and food in their bellies. And we've done
that since the beginning of the HIV crisis, when the founders of
this organization came together to assist those who had nothing and
no one left to advocate for them."

I looked out into the crowd assembled on the
grounds of Magdalene and saw dozens of people hanging on my every
word. I'd never made a speech like this in my life. The words just
flowed. Even though I'd practiced them, I still ad-libbed where I
could.

This was my element now. The lawn of our
modest building on Rhode Island Avenue had been perfectly
manicured; the building itself had been freshly painted and all the
windows washed of the grime that had accumulated over the years.
Tables had been set up with plenty of refreshments for everyone,
supplied by a local minority-owned caterer. I stepped back to the
microphone to continue.

"Now, HIV is becoming an afterthought in our
community. Because of advances in the treatment of the disease, our
attention is focused on other things. But I am here to tell you
that AIDS is still here and AIDS still kills—particularly the poor,
particularly minorities, and particularly the members of the LGBT
community.

"The Foundation for Community Justice has
assumed responsibility for Magdalene House as it moves forward into
a new phase of service, with a focus which expands dramatically. No
longer will we just house and feed the families who come through
our doors. No! We will be transforming their lives and giving them
the tools they need for self-sufficiency. I am pleased to announce
to all of you our newest program: The Women in Technology
Initiative. From this point forward, any woman seeking training in
technological careers will receive it at no cost. We have the
staff. We have the support. Now, we need your help as our community
partners to make those referrals to us. We want to discover the
next great engineer or architect or designer. Magdalene will do
that now! When you empower a woman, you change the world—and her
HIV status will not be a barrier to that!"

The crowd around me erupted in applause and
cheers. I was stunned. All I wanted was for Magdalene House to be
great and now we were. At least, we were getting there.

Selena Esteban walked up to the porch and
stood next to me. She quietly but assertively pushed me to the side
as she took the microphone.

"I'm not sure that Mr. Kena was quite
finished, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to respond to
his challenge. The Friends of the Crown/Los Amigos de la Corona are
pleased to announce our commitment to this most worthy initiative
and we come bearing a check in the amount of $25,000 with a
commitment for ongoing support!"

I was in shock. The crowd once again roared
as Selena's assistant produced an oversized novelty check.

Cameras snapped all around me. I struggled to
smile, but my mouth was still wide open, even as I held the huge
check.

"I'm speechless," I said to Selena.

"He means 'thank you!'" Cissy chimed in.

"Yes, yes! Thank you!" I hugged Selena
tightly and got misty-eyed. I couldn't continue at the microphone
and asked Cissy to close.

"Thank you all so much for coming out to see
us today. Please enjoy the refreshments and each other! And…we're
just happy to be back! Tell your friends!"

I got so many congratulations as the event
ended. I was sure to tell everyone that I had the greatest job on
earth because all I have to do is let my team shine. And it was
true. I really did have the best team that the Foundation could
buy.

And I was also learning very directly that
the more money you have, the more money you raise. The Friends of
the Crown had little in common with us and I really never even
thought I was near being able to make an "ask." But here we were,
getting five figure gifts from them.

I was just a new, young executive director
turning around a troubled organization. But they believed in me.
They all believed in me.

I was finally becoming somebody that people
respected.

"Congratulations," Victor whispered in my
ear. "Now don't forget your other job."

"I gotchu," I said through my clenched-teeth
smile.

~

Less than an hour after the close of our open
house, I drove the van solo toward my destination. I had on a full
brown uniform, a vase full of calla lilies, and a pocket full of
magic to fulfill Victor's mission.

I drove the van down a long cul-de-sac on the
edge of Rock Creek Park in Northwest DC. At the very end of the
street, right against the woods, was a mansion. I couldn't believe
a house so large actually existed in the city.

I got out of the van, collected the flowers
and my clipboard, and walked up to the mansion. I prayed as I
pressed the button on the intercom system.

"Yes?" the voice on the other end of the line
said.

"Delivery man," I said.

The intercom buzzed and the door unlocked. I
turned the knob and entered.

The foyer was exactly as I imagined it:
covered in dark, mahogany paneling with old paintings on the walls
and marble sculptures in the corners. Just feet away was a small
security desk with a pudgy, brown-skinned female security guard
wearing a gray uniform.

"Hey, uh, I got a package for, uh, lemme see
here…Nigel Artinian?"

"I can sign for it," the guard said.

"Mmm, I dunno. This says here 'for Nigel
Artinian only.'"

"Sir, Mr. Artinian is not here during the
day. All packages can be left with me."

"Well, I guess I can trust a pretty lady like
you." She tried to squash a smile.

"So…you think I could get your number? Maybe
call you up, go get some ice cream in Georgetown? Walk around the
harbor?"

"I have a boyfriend."

"What's that got to do with me?"

"Everything, if he finds out you tryin' to
holla at his woman."

"Aight, aight, my bad. Well, since I can't
get your number, can I at least use your bathroom?"

"They really don't like people using…"

"Aww, come on, please? I haven't had a break
in like four hours, you know I'm 'bout to bust. I mean, I could
pull over and go out there in Rock Creek, but look at me. You think
a civilized man like me ought to be relieving hisself on a tree?
Nah, I ain't think so."

"Listen, the restroom is right there down the
hall, past the dining room, before you get to the kitchen. Please
don't take all day and please don't funk it up. I'm not trying to
hear these peoples' mouths when I get off."

"I gotchu, boo. No worries."

I hurried down the hallway, glancing at each
piece of art along the way. They were humongous European scenes of
fox hunting and portraits of long-dead aristocrats. Things that
people looked at but never touched.

The perfect places to plant the
top-of-the-line remote listening devices that I'd convinced Victor
to purchase.

I didn't have much time to act. In the
restroom, I ran the water and locked the door. From my pocket I
produced three tiny devices, smaller than dimes. They were
sound-detecting bugs that would only activate once someone was
speaking, and would transmit the data via satellite to a data cloud
that only I would be able to access.

I flushed the toilet and pretended to wash my
hands. I peeled the paper off the back of the bugs, exposing their
adhesive, and prayed they wouldn't get stuck to my hand as I tried
to complete the mission. I turned the light out in the bathroom and
made my way down the hall again.

I had seconds. Out of courtesy, I knew the
guard would not be staring at me as I walked out of the bathroom. I
pretended to make a wrong turn and entered the dining room, where I
planted the first bug on the ground, next to the first grate that I
saw. I immediately turned back around to the hallway, took a few
steps and looked at the huge painting in front of me. I touched the
bottom of the gilded frame, and stuck a bug there, totally
unnoticeable.

My final destination would be trickiest. I
walked up to the guard's desk and then turned around to face the
sitting room.

"This house is awesome," I said. "They
actually be sitting in this living room?"

"Yeah," she said, as I tiptoed in, pretending
to glance around while I dropped the final bug in a potted plant by
the entryway.

"Damn," I continued. "Look like a
museum."

"Mm-hmm," she said. "They nice people, when I
see them. But they never here during the day."

"I see. Well, thanks. Thanks, pretty lady.
Maybe I'll see you next time?"

"Maybe. Have a good day!"

"You too, love."

I exhaled and hurried out of there. When I
got to the van, I called Victor on the burner he gave me for the
occasion.

"Yeah?" he said.

"It's done."

"Good. Very good."

"Yeah. You're welcome."

I clicked off the phone and threw it into the
woods when I got to the corner.

The next morning at work, I sifted through a
stack of Memoranda of Understanding from our potential community
partners. Now that Magdalene House was under new management, other
community organizations and health providers were bending over
backwards to have formal relationships with us. It was a great
problem to have.