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=   F.U.C.K. - Fucked Up College Kids - Born Jan. 24th, 1993 - F.U.C.K.   =
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                                the turning
                                -----------

     I opened the door and stepped outside, the darkness surrounding me like
a widow's veil. I lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. The absence of light
occurred to me then, and I glared into the sky. The calendar had promised a
full moon, and the balance of white and black was needed on this night.
Anger welled in me, threatening to overtake the calm. A cloud, as if
unnerved by a premonition of something ominous, suddenly released its
captive grip. The moon emerged, its radiance transforming the swirling smoke
into a gyrating, sensuous dance of mourning blue. A smile crept slowly over
my face. 
     A glance at my watch told me he was late. Again. At least he was
consistent. I paced impatiently, the metal of my spikes against the sidewalk
echoing in the silence. I felt rather than heard the car, and turned to look
as it made its way quietly up the street. The black Firebird came to a halt
beside me, and a bleached blonde head peered out. "You're late, Jake," I
snapped. 
     "Sorry," came the usual reply. 
     "You always are, aren't you?" 
     "Chill, Natty. Don't be so uptight," Jake replied flippantly.
     "Don't call me Natty, dammit!" My tone grew tense.
     "My apologies, Natasha." He emphasized my name, his voice taking on an
edge of its own. 
     I sighed. "No, I'm sorry. You know how I get." Jake shrugged and
offered me a cigarette. I declined, and twisted around in my seat. Pale
green eyes stared out of the blackness. 
     "Evening, Natasha. You look lovely, as always." Dominick's voice had
taken on an elegant bass tone as of late.
     "Thank you. Have you gotten last night's files yet?"
     "Of course. Nothing pertaining to us, thankfully. There was mention of
a disturbance in the near vicinity, but it was thought to be a domestic
dispute. Nothing to worry about. If you'd like a look, they're still in the
'flex." Dominick soothed me with his tone, as only he could. 
     I reached under my seat, my fingers seeking the sleek, cool metal. I
pulled out the BitFlex unit and headgear. Slipping the headgear in place
with a familiar ease, I powered up the unit and opened the file. My eyes
rapidly scanned the data. Satisfied that there was no trace of last night's
encounter, I powered down and replaced the unit.
     Closing my eyes, I allowed my mind to drift. No words were needed
between the three of us, on nights like this. My thoughts traced backward
through time, pausing occasionally to dwell on the most vivid of memories. I
couldn't remember a time when we weren't together. There had been that time,
of course, but it was of no consequence now. What mattered was that we had
started this as one, and there was no going back. Not that any of us
wanted to.
     Dominick had been only thirteen when we met. Jake and I were in our
final year of high school, and Jake's first reaction to the boy had been one
of contempt. He was only a kid, Jake insisted, how skilled could he possibly
be? Eventually, though, Dominick's electronics prowess had won him over.
Everything seemed to mesh then, each individual's expertise complementing
that of the others. Jake danced effortlessly through the telephone networks,
softly coercing the human element when needed. The most obscure of systems
wrapped around me like a satin glove, allowing me to work my way inside
their complex data structures, inviting my seduction. We thought ourselves
an unstoppable force, but it wasn't until the silke that we tasted true
power. Though temporary, the turning gave us the one thing we had lacked.
Control. Our bodies developed a catlike grace, becoming as lithe as our
minds. Our senses heightened beyond anything we had imagined. We had become
the embodiment of perfection. The only difficulty we encountered were the
feedings. In time, though, the feedings became a welcomed need, the same
intense desire an angst-filled soul has for inner peace. 
     Jake's voice drifted over me, as if from a distance. "Natasha, you
awake?"
     I opened my eyes and nodded.
     "Almost there." I felt his grin.
     The Matrix was frequented by techies, although it attracted the
occasional outsider. They rarely stayed long, though. There was a certain
chill outside the inner circle, and the lack of acknowledgement added to
their sense of discomfort. The three of us were well known at the club, and
highly regarded by those we considered friends. Since the turning, though,
fear had replaced respect in the eyes of some. 
     We entered through the side door as always, and the rapid, electronic
beat of the music pulsed instantly through my body. The green light of the
hallway cast an eerie incandescence over our leather-clad bodies. As we
stepped down into the main room, my eyes scanned the familiar faces,
searching for one in particular. Not finding their target, my eyes landed
instead on Jake. 
     "Ready to rage?" 
     "Am I ever not ready?" Jake winked, and dropped three small black pills
on his tongue. "Come and get it."
     I slid a hand behind Jake's head and brought him to me, flicking my
tongue over his. I allowed it to linger teasingly for a moment before I
withdrew. The tablet slid easily down my throat, leaving its sweet trail of
promise behind. Dominick leaned into Jake then, and bit softly into his
lower lip before slipping his tongue inside. He withdrew, leaving a single
pill. In silent agreement we moved toward the wildly flickering lights of
the dance area. The silke began to take its hold as Jake and Dominick
surrounded me. The music became tangible, and I felt it snake erotically
over me, its fingers caressing my skin, until it completely enveloped me.
Dominick's lips found their way to the nape of my neck, and he worked his
body against mine. Jake's hands slid over my thighs, gripping me firmly as
he traced my throat with a hot tongue. The lights, first green, then blue,
ever changing, flashed over us in a frenzied dance. We moved together, as we
did everything, in perfect rhythm.
     When the silke-induced thirst became unbearable, I slipped from between
them and made my way to the bathroom. The water from the fountain was ice
cold. I let it run down my skin, cooling my already damp body. I turned to
the mirror then, examining my image. Dark, gracefully slanted eyes stared
back at me, the pupils enlarged to thrice normal size. Sharply pronounced
cheekbones threw shadows over my pale, translucent skin. I smiled at my
reflection, running a soft pink tongue over my elongated canines. I was much
more beautiful now. 
     It was getting late. Where was Noah? On an ordinary night, he'd have
been here by now, and tonight was far from ordinary. Tonight was special.
Tonight, Noah was to become one of us. It had been five years since
Dominick, Jake, and myself had come together, and in that time, we'd never
considered bringing in another. Until now. Noah was different, though. In
many ways, he was already part of what we were. He had demonstrated his
loyalty to us time after time over the years, and in return, we had given
him our trust. Noah hadn't had an easy life, yet through all he had seen,
all he had known, he somehow maintained his childlike innocence. His dancing
green eyes belied the brilliance that lay beneath. He wrote code with a mad,
driven passion, a passion composed of a love for the code and demons from
his past. After tonight, though, his past would cease to matter. To us, what
mattered was what lay ahead. 
     My turning had nearly reached its peak, and my heart drummed fiercely
in time to the music. I felt every muscle of my body as I moved,
contracting, expanding, tightening. The leather, taut against my hardened
muscles, provided a comforting second skin. We rarely wore anything else
now. It alone seemed to stay the chill brought by the turning. 
     The patio was nearly deserted, and a quick glance around told me Noah
wasn't out there. A hand slid stealthily around my waist and I turned,
smiling. The smile turned quickly to a snarl, and I writhed free of Zach's
grip. 
     "Keep your fucking hands away from me," I hissed.
     "Now now, Natasha. That's no way to show your devotion to me." Zach
flashed a sickly grin. It was a twisted slit in an otherwise stonelike face,
a smile that didn't quite reach his cold, pale eyes. An animalistic instinct
took over, and I watched in surreal detachment as my hand shot from my side,
nails raking his cheek. He raised his own hand to his face and it came away
wet. He reacted violently to the sight of his own blood, reaching out to
grasp my throat. 
     "You stupid little bitch. You're not the untouchable elite you seem to
think you are." His fingers tightened around my neck and I closed my eyes,
needing the moment of pure concentration to adjust my body to the lack of
oxygen and blood. My breathing slowed, as did the pace of my heartbeat. I
opened my eyes and stared into his. 
     "And you're not the immortal you think you are, Zach. You shall find
that out before the night is over, I'm sure." I squeezed his hand, grinding
his knuckles against one another. He released his grip on my neck, but the
grin never left his face.
     "A woman who fights back is sexy. But you know that, don't you?" He
wedged me against the wall, using his body to block my escape, and pressed
his lips over mine. I bit down ever so lightly on his lower lip, and felt my
razorsharp teeth slide easily through his flesh. The blood was sweet in my
mouth. Sweet enough that I craved more. He pulled back, startled, and my
gaze focused on his throat. I leaned toward him, my heart beating rapidly
once again, and ran my tongue over bloodstained lips. Movement registered in
my extended peripheral vision, and I turned my head. Dominick stood there,
Noah and Jake behind him.
     "Natasha, no. Not now. There's time for that later. For now, leave it
be." Dominick let a hand fall on Zach's shoulder. "I've told you many times
to stay away from her. You didn't heed my warning. Perhaps you'll remember
that later. In fact, I know you will." 
     We followed Jake back inside, back to the comfortable darkness of the
club. A collective anxiety hung thick in the air. He led us into our usual
hideaway, a small, dark room just off the back bar, and we sat in a circle
on the floor. I glanced at Jake. He nodded and began speaking.
     "Noah, we've known you for a long time. In that time, you've extended
your hand in friendship and shown your loyalty a hundred times over. In
return, we've trusted you. In the case of Natasha, Dominick, and myself,
that is a gift. We trust no one, yet we trusted you. You've never abused
that trust, never once betrayed us, and for that we're grateful. Each of us
also admires and respects your skill. That said, we think you'd add a great
deal to us as a group. We've discussed this at great length. At first, each
of us was hesitant about letting an outsider in. If it was anyone other than
you, the subject would never have come up. I realize that you already knew
most of what I just told you. I'm saying it again because I wanted to
preface what I'm to say next. I wanted you to understand how much thought
we've given this." Jake stopped, and looked into Noah's soul by way of his
eyes. He must have found there what he had been looking for, because he
continued on.
     "To be one of us is to be one of us forever. We live as one. Our lives
are a neverending rhythmic dance of good intentions and questionable
outcomes. There are consequences of being what we are, and you will have to
deal with these, as we did. You will experience a heightening of mind and
body, and we feel this heightening is worth the sacrifices that must be
made. Do you want this, Noah? Can you handle this?" The passion he felt for
all that we were, and all that Noah was to become, was clear in Jake's tone.  
     "I think you already know the answer to your questions, Jake. I think
you can see the answers in my eyes." Noah's voice was nearly a whisper. 
     Jake held up his hand, rolling a bit of blackness between thumb and
forefinger. "This is what we are, Noah. This is the silke, and this will
bring you into us. I want you to take this from me. Do not be scared. You
are us now, and we love you. From now until eternity, we shall be here with
you. And it is us that will indeed experience eternity." Jake placed the
pill in his mouth and held out his tongue. Noah went to him then, without
hesitation, and slid the silke from Jake's mouth. 
     I looked at Dominick. "Dance?" 
     "But of course." Dominick always wanted to dance. I headed toward the
dance floor, the others following in silent agreement.
     Between the strobing shock of the lights, I peered into Noah's eyes.
His pupils were huge, and I knew the silke was taking effect. I reached out
to stroke his face, and he grinned. It was odd how the turning never took
anything from what you were. It simply gave. 
     It was five minutes until closing. Time to leave. When the Matrix
closed, the lights came on, and we did our best to avoid that. Bright
artificial light seemed to have an adverse effect on the silke.
     

     The moon shone down through the occasional cloud, illuminating the cool
night. I turned to Dominick. "Are we waiting?"
     "We're waiting."
     "Excellent. I'm famished." I looked at Noah. "Are you hungry?"
     "I'm starving. It's odd, though. I have cravings..." His voice
trailed off.
     "Yes, well those cravings will soon be satisfied. In the meantime, why
don't you go get that code you wanted to show me?" 
     "Sure. Come with me to my car?" I nodded.
     Noah extracted a thick black notebook from his car and began paging
through it. We headed back to where Dominick and Jake were waiting as he
began explaining the code. "And see, it builds a series of smaller
datapacks, and attaches each one to one of the original datapacks. They
piggyback, so to speak, and when the original datapacks are through the wall
and being dispersed, the smaller ones disconnect themselves. The tricky part
though, the part that took me so long, is that the piggyback packs have to
skip a step. They obviously can't disperse in the same manner as the
originals, as they have no true destination. Their destination is wherever
their host datapacks take them. As a result, they have no destination code.
Without that code, of course, the datapacks will be bounced around until
they eventually cease to exist. They'll never be properly dispersed. In
order to get around that, I had to code it so that immediately after
detachment, each piggyback datapack tunnels through the desired shelf, which
always remains the same, and directly makes the desired calls. Do you follow
so far?" Noah's voice rose in excitement with each breath. 
     "Yes, I follow, but I'd probably have a more in depth understanding if
I was reading the code as you explained."
     Noah handed the notebook to me, and continued his explanation.
Suddenly,he stopped midsentence. "They've got Zach," he laughed. 
     I looked up from the code. Dominick held Zach's hair with one hand, and
with the other gripped his shoulder. "I got you something, Natasha." He
pulled back on Zach's hair, exposing his throat. 
     My heart rate rose in anticipation. I grinned at Zach, whose eyes grew
even wider with fear. "If you're afraid, Zach dear, you should have thought
about that before you took liberties with me." I leaned forward, my lips
lightly grazing Zach's neck. I looked at Jake, who nodded. Closing my eyes,
I let my teeth sink through the skin. The sweet taste of blood flowed
through my mouth, satisfying a need I hadn't even realized was there yet. I
barely heard the screams. 
     Once sated, I looked up. Noah was staring at me, a horrified look on
his face. I licked the blood from my lips. "Noah, it's okay. We must feed.
It's part of what we are." The look of horror was replaced by one of guilt
as Noah looked longingly at the warm blood flowing from the wound. "Come
Noah. You must feed too."
     Noah leaned in slowly, still hesitant. His tongue protruded from his
mouth, and he took a tentative taste of the dark red liquid. Satisfied, he
wrapped his lips around the hole in Zach's throat and drank hungrily. After
only moments he stopped, sinking to the ground. A look of disbelief washed
over his face. I sat down next to him, holding him, whispering to him,
attempting to allieve him of his guilt. I knew what he was feeling. I had
once felt it, too. As I held him, Jake and Dominick took turns feeding. When
they were finished, Dominick let go of the body. It fell to the ground with
a thud, blood spattering over Zach's leather jacket.
     Noah was still a bit unsettled, but he'd come to terms with it in time.
We all had. Sacrifices must be made for the enhancement of the deserving.
That was our mantra. I looked at Noah, and my heart went out to him. I
caught his eye and smiled. 
     "Think of it this way," I said, pointing to Zach's leather clad corpse.                                                                            
"He wanted it. Did you see how he was dressed?"


-krystalia
01/98

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