Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:03:47 +1030
From: michael andrew <m_andrew_1986@live.com>
Subject: Angel in Black Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will included m/m
relationships, and probably some sex too.  If it is illegal in your area to
read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you
are), stop here.  Otherwise, please enjoy.

Note: This story is from the recess of my mind, but a few elements of this
world have been borrowed from another story with permission from the
author. His work has been an inspiration to me and I would recommend it to
anyone. please visit jaygordonstories.com for his stories, its free to join
and there are chapters and stories only available to members.

Also i have made my own site to post this and hopefully many more tales
too. please drop by and say hi on the blog and let me know what you think
:-)

  http://mikeysmusings.weebly.com/index.html

Also Angel in black and any future stories by me and several other authors
can be found at:

  http://Mikey.thestorycloset.org

Edited with help from Jason Gordon, MommaB and Fitz, Thanks guys :-)

              ***************************
              Angel in Black: Chapter 18
                      Disclosure


  "I need to do something! I'm part of an endangered species," stated the
gentleman.

  James stood in the office of his new residence, a stately manor in the
Blue Mountains near Sydney, a gift from his sire for his tireless work at
making Australia-once a hideout for all manner of dark creatures-a mostly
safe place for supernatural creatures and humans alike. "Devlin, I'm
shorthanded here! There are still rogue vampires roaming around thinking
they own this continent, never mind those of your kind who are known
criminals and any other problems that arise. I can't really offer you much
help in manpower at the present," James replied.

  "I'm not asking for manpower... I'm requesting protection! My people need
time to rebuild our society; we are on the verge of extinction! I've
already gone over my idea with my fellow councillors. SOME of them would
much rather force people to join us, but my plan, although taking longer,
is nowhere near as confrontational," Devlin explained.

  "And what is this plan?" James asked intrigued.

  "Do you know how many ways there are to create a new Were-Thylacine?" he
replied. James shook his head 'no' so Devlin continued, "Very few: biting a
human or breeding to produce offspring are the main ways."

  "And you want to forcefully turn people? I couldn't allow you to do
that!" James replied firmly.

  "NO!" Devlin responded defensively, almost jumping from the chair he sat
in. "Several of the other councillors suggested that 'aggressively' turning
humans was the only way to keep our race going, but it would be devastating
for our species," he said calming and leaning back in the chair before
continuing. "You see, usually humans that are 'turned' by being bitten
become sterile, so they can only produce offspring by in turn biting
another."

  "I didn't know that," James replied.

  "I'm not surprised, it's not something we talk about with outsiders,"
Devlin admitted.

  "And the way you want to do it?" James asked.

  "It's somewhat complicated. Only someone born a Were or turned without
becoming sterile can successfully breed, and for some reason, it's only
successful if it's with an untainted human," he explained.

  "Untainted?" James asked slightly confused.

  "Yes, someone that doesn't have any other Were blood in them, like
were-wolf. They just aren't compatible; and over time as a Were's
bloodlines continue on, and eventually thin out so that the Were part of
the individual becomes dormant, occasionally showing itself in times of
great stress," Devlin said.

  "That's very interesting. I didn't know that about Were's but it is good
to know. Wait! So your people have tried to breed with were-wolves?" James
asked.

  "Yes many years ago... but, their attempts failed," he replied.

  "Failed?" James queried.

  "During the attempts all involved died painfully. It's the same as a
were-wolf and a were-thylacine fighting, if one bites or scratches the
other drawing blood the wound quickly becomes infected. The Weres die of
blood poisoning: seems the two species' bodily fluids aren't compatible,"
Devlin said sadly.

  "There aren't any other ways?" James asked.

  Devlin looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "None that we know of,
and I've been searching for years. I don't like the thought of turning
people; I'd rather settle down and have a few pups the old fashioned way."

  "Oh, so you're not a turned Were?" James asked surprised.

  "Oh no, my family have been here since the mid 1600's. They were Dutch
farmers searching for new farming lands, but they shipwrecked off the
western coast. There weren't any rescues back then, and no one knew they
had left their homeland. They brought the whole family and a few others to
support them and to start a settlement but when they wrecked they lost
almost all their supplies. Luckily no one died, but they were stranded,"
Devlin explained.

  "How did they survive?" James queried.

  "Well obviously they didn't know anything about the country or that there
were already people living here. Luckily the local people found them and
helped them heal the sick and wounded and establish a small colony. They
ended up living much like the locals did, so when the British finally
colonised there wasn't much evidence of them being here. By that time my
people had grown to quite a large number," he explained.

  "What about being were-thylacines? Surely your people weren't that way
when they wrecked?" James asked.

  "No, they weren't... honestly I don't know the truth behind it. Seems no
one wanted to explain what actually happened, but there is a story, almost
a bedtime tale now. It says that shortly after they wrecked and were found
by the native people, after the men were all healed and well rested, a
small group went out hunting, looking for fresh meats to store. They
managed to save a couple rifles from the wreck, and a small amount of
ammunition, the natives didn't know what the weapons were. They had never
seen anything like them! So when they came across a few wild animals, Emus,
Kangaroos and such, they used the rifles, scaring the natives half to
death. They also had no understanding of the native language, so when the
natives screamed at them not to kill their dreamtime friends they didn't
know," Devlin explained.

  "The typical European mans reaction to a new land, kill and devour
whatever's in sight," James noted.

  "Yes, I agree but they were careless. They came across another animal
they had never seen... it looked very much like a tiger, something they had
only scene rarely in paintings or royal exhibitions, the aristocrats having
poached the creatures from Asia or India. They didn't know these were
different, and they began firing their rifles at any they saw, killing many
of the mostly harmless creatures. When they finally returned to the camp,
each man had at least 5 kills; they were all piled upon a large makeshift
cart and brought into the center of the camp. When the natives saw the
atrocity they were extremely upset, though they only held the small group
of men responsible," Devlin said, looking away a moment and taking a
mouthful of the whiskey that sat on the table beside him before
continuing. "The leader of the tribe, a witch doctor of some sort, cursed
them to forever turn into the creature they had slain so needlessly, which
was the tiger looking creature. After that, those men would change into the
tigers, roaming around the desert at night."

  "Oh my! Do you think all of that is true?" James asked.

  "NO!" Devlin laughed. "At least not all of it. Some of it maybe; I'm just
not sure how much. For instance, we don't change at night. We can change
pretty much when ever we like: some times it is a little more involuntary,
like in times of great anger or sadness."

  "Are any of those original survivors still around?" James queried.

  "No, not to my knowledge; we do not live nearly as long as your kind, or
even werewolves. Full blood werewolves can live for as long as 500 years:
my kind occasionally reach 250, but it is rare. Especially given our
volatile nature, we tend to kill each other long before that... That is
also something I am concerned about. Many of the councillors strongly
oppose my plan, and some even walked out of the council meeting. They may
try to kill me to prevent my proceeding with this plan," Devlin confessed.

  "Well my friend, I will endeavour to prevent that," James said, then
leaned over and picked up his glass of whiskey and continued, "A toast, to
a long partnership between our peoples!" James finished, bringing his glass
up to meet Devlin's.

  "One can hope for such things," Devlin muttered.

---

  "One can only hope, my friend," James said quietly, reminiscing about his
long passed friend as he sat on the steps leading up to his front door,
waiting for Victoria to arrive. He could already hear her car coming up the
road; it wouldn't be long before she entered his property.

  Victoria concentrated on the dirt road as she drove along it, grasping at
straws as to what might be going on; after all, it's not everyday a
councillor, never mind a were-thylacine, goes missing without a trace!
'What ever is going on here I am going to find out!' She thought as she
came upon the outer gate to the consul's compound.

  James sat and watched Victoria slowly pass the outer gate and approach
the inner boundary gate; he stood and took a few steps forward to wait on
the gravel drive, carefully taking a thin-fencing like-sword from its
concealed position under his coat. He stood with his hands behind his back
holding the sword while he wore a warm smile on his face as Victoria came
to a stop a few meters from him. 'She looks surprised to see me waiting,'
he thought.

  'What the hell!' Victoria thought, seeing James standing in his drive
apparently waiting for her. 'Oh well, I am here to see him,' she added then
reached for her Rapier as she exited the car. "James! It's been too long,"
She said moving towards him.

  "Vicky! Far too long," James replied, preparing for her attack. He
brought his sword around just as Victoria charged him with her Rapier ready
to strike; she was on him in seconds. Luckily he knew she would attempt
something: she always did. "Vicky... when will you learn that you can't
catch me out like that?" James said as their blades met, sending sparks
flying.

  "You know? I thought that this time you wouldn't see it coming!" Victoria
laughed as James easily pushed her back; she hooked her Rapier to her belt
and straightened her self out.

  James lowered his sword and patted down his coat before saying, "Your
uncle used to greet me with a handshake and a hug. Why can't you do that?"

  "Because, my uncle was a weak old fool! He was soft and in the end it got
him killed!" Victoria exclaimed before she realised what she was saying.

  "Your uncle, Devlin, was one of the strongest people I've ever known! He
wanted to do so much for your people, but some of your kind didn't like
what he was planning. THAT'S why he died, not because he was 'weak'!" James
replied angrily to Victoria's outburst.

  "His friendship with you was well known among our people, and many didn't
like it. They thought he was giving away sensitive information," she
replied calmly, carefully watching James's reaction.

  "Devlin never told me anything like that. He gave me an understanding of
your people that many don't have. His dream was for our governments to work
together. He knew that your people wouldn't survive with their attitude of
destruction, but he also knew it would take time for your people to
change. He was cast-out because he was willing to wait... We really
shouldn't be talking about this out here. How about we go inside and talk?"
James asked, offering his hand gentlemanly for Victoria to take.

  Victoria took his hand and they headed inside. "James, you were waiting
for me... How did you know I was coming?" She asked as they walked into the
house, escaping the midmorning heat.

  James thought a moment, not wanting to give anything away just yet, he
replied, "There was an incident involving some of your people recently, so
I figured it would just be a matter of time before you paid me a
visit. Plus the highway patrol officer that pulled you over is one of my
agents."

  "You sneaky old vamp!" Victoria laughed, not surprised in the least.

  "Vicky, you have no idea!" James stated, returning Victoria's laugh as
they stepped into his office and he closed the door.

---

  "So dear, what do you really think of all this?" Marie asked Jack as he
helped her out in the kitchen.

  "How do you mean?" He replied, confused by her question.

  "I mean, how you are going to be used as bait to fool Victoria's people,"
Marie said.

  "Ah, well I don't exactly like the idea of going near them; they'll know
pretty quickly that I don't know who any of them are. If they question me I
won't be able to answer them," Jack said, worried.

  Marie stopped what she was doing, turned to Jack and looked him in the
eyes then said, "Jack, for god's sake stop doubting your self! From what
everyone's been saying these elder dogs are selfish, one track minded, over
confident old fools! They probably know nothing about what's been going on
or who you even were before you were blinded by rage and revenge."

  "I'm not so sure... after all Victoria did come here!" Jack exclaimed.

  "Well maybe she is just a clever woman?" Marie smirked.

  Jack chuckled a little and said, "Undoubtedly!"

  Smiling Marie then said, "I'm sure you can act. Besides I have a feeling
that things will work out in our favour."

  "I hope so," Jack said as he went back to tidying up the kitchen.

  "You think James is ready for tea yet?" Marie joked, Jack wasn't amused.

---

  Tommy, Calvin, Bill and Tyson decided to take a little time-out and
train; they all figured that there was a fight coming from the
Were-thylacines and they needed to be prepared.

  Tyson and Bill teamed up against Tommy and Calvin; the pairings seemed to
work perfectly. "Let's show these two what a couple of relatively normal
folk can do!" Bill exclaimed.

  "Not to mention old!" Tommy taunted.

  "Hey, your mate there is older than us!" Tyson replied smirking.

  "To be fair, I am older than all three of you combined... but only just!"
Calvin laughed.

  "Come on! Are we going to fight or are you two just going to talk trash?"
Bill asked getting frustrated.

  Tommy and Calvin stopped laughing and turned to each other, they seemed
to have a short conversation mentally before they turned back to Bill and
Tyson; perfectly mirroring each other they took defensive stances, each
holding a katana. In perfect sync they said, "Come at us!"

  "Looks like we have a match," Tyson said as he took an offensive position
next to Bill.

  "Oh I think we have the advantage still," Bill smirked, taking a similar
stance to Tyson. "Just remember boys, we aren't aiming to kill here, but if
we manage to draw blood... well, we'll just have a cold beer after this and
laugh it off, alright?" Bill added.

  "Sure," Tommy and Calvin replied in unison.

  "Right then! I think we are ready, what do you think Ty?" Bill asked as
he kept his eyes on the boys.

  "We're ready, but I dunno about them!" Tyson chuckled, he to closely
watching Calvin and Tommy.

  "Follow my lead, watch for changes and keep your eyes open!" Bill
said. Tyson replied, "Got it!" Bill charged at Calvin while Tyson charged
Tommy, the boys statue-like as they waited. Suddenly Bill switched his
focus to Tommy leaving Tyson to Calvin, Tommy and Calvin changed their
focus accordingly.

  Bill had his Wakizashi out to his left while Tyson mirrored him, then
just as Bill was about to strike at Tommy, he again changed focus but this
time shouted, "Down and strike!" Then, in what could only be called a
perfectly choreographed move Bill and Tyson leapt into the air, Bill
soaring over Tyson and landing behind Calvin on his hands, Tyson landing
similarly behind Tommy.

  Coiling up like springs on their arms, Bill and Tyson then pushed back,
the full force of their individual body weights being transferred through
their legs to the backs of their targets, knocking them to the ground on
their faces.

  Bill and Tyson quickly got to their feet as Calvin and Tommy recovered
and stood up, but before the boys could react, Bill and Tyson had a blade
each at their necks. "1 - Nil I think for round one!" Tyson exclaimed.

  "Don't be so sure!" Calvin and Tommy replied in unison then brought their
blades up and pushed Bill and Tyson's blades away. They spun around and
struck Bill and Tyson in the center of their chests with their palms,
winding them slightly. The boys jumped back this time taking an offensive
stance each, they said, "Our turn!"

  "Damn!" Bill forced out between gasps after having the wind knocked out
of him.

  "You've got that right mate!" Tyson agreed, they barely had enough time
to defend as Tommy and Calvin charged them.

  Tommy and Calvin moved so fast they were almost a blur, Tommy's tanned
torso, Calvin's pale skin and the glint of cold steel. Bill and Tyson
brought their blades up to defend but they were just knocked to the side by
the charging pair. Then something impacted Bill and Tyson again in the
center of their chests, much harder this time as they landed hard on their
asses and slid a few meters along the padded mat on the floor of the
training room.

---

  James just finished explaining to Victoria about her uncle and the many
times he and James had sat in this house talking long into the night over
some good whiskey. "So he told you the old folk stories of our people? They
are meaningless!" Victoria said.

  "Don't bullshit me! You used to love hearing about them when you were a
little girl. What changed?" James asked.

  Victoria sat for a moment thinking, before she answered, "There's no
truth in them, they are just stories! Devlin believed in them and they
didn't help him did they?"

  "He knew they weren't real, but some of the facts were. Your uncle
believed that you must know your past if you're to have a future. THAT'S
why he told you the stories! They are the only history your people have,
and true or fiction you can't deny them," James replied.

  "Perhaps," she conceded then, much calmer, asked, "But what does that
have to do with why I'm here?"

  James wondered for a moment just how to phrase what he wanted to say but
decided to just say it, "History is a difficult subject, especially for our
two peoples. We both have had difficult times of adjustment, big losses,
events we don't want to talk about or can't; something has been going on
for about as long as I have been here as consul, and someone's been working
very hard to keep it a secret. I believe that's why your uncle was murdered
and I think it's time to bring this into the light, with your help."

  "Bring what into the light?" Victoria asked.

  "Corruption, murder and plans to turn normal humans into were-thylacines
forcefully!" James replied.

  "WHAT?" Victoria couldn't believe what James said. "Surely you have proof
of this?" she asked.

  "Yes, the earliest forced turning I know of was of a young father; he was
attacked in the woods near his home sometime around the turn of the last
century, his young son was murdered before him then he was turned and
brainwashed. Until recently he served your people without question. Another
example I know of was in the early 1900's an entire family were murdered by
your kind, literally torn apart because they wouldn't submit to being
turned," James explained.

  "You know as well as I do that that's not evidence. I need written proof
of this!" Victoria demanded.

  "How about written and visual proof?" James asked as he took the file out
of his desk draw and handed it to Victoria.

  "This is... where did you get this?" Victoria asked in disbelief.

  "One of my operatives retrieved that a few decades ago, but it didn't
make it to me until recently - some internal staff issues that have been
dealt with. As you can see the first page is your missing councillor
Jackson, and the following is the family of one of my operatives, the one
that discovered that file," James said.

  "But WHERE did he get it?" she asked.

  "Matthew got that file from the then-councillor Sirus' personal files. As
you can imagine, upon discovering what really happened to his family, he
kind of lost it, Sirus' personal forces taking quite a hit before Matthew
finally confronted Sirus, and tortured him for several days before allowing
him to die. Following that event, Jackson went quite mad trying to get
revenge on Matthew for killing his sire," James replied.

  "How could I not know any of this?" She asked, confused, as she looked
through the files.

  "It happened before you became high consul, and quite simply, someone
didn't want you to know. Take a look in the back of the folder," James
said.

  "Why?" Victoria asked as she turned to the back of the
folder. "Uncle... Who did this to you?" She asked as she read the file.

  "You understand now how far this goes?" James asked.

  "Lucian! That BASTARD! I'll kill him!" Victoria stated.

  "Vicky, listen to me! You can't go losing your temper now. We need to
work this out and I have a plan which I need you to agree to," James said
coming to Victoria's side trying to calm her. "I think some tea might be in
order right about now," he added.

  James stood and went to the door; he called out to Marie for tea then
went and sat back down in the chair next to Victoria. "They've used me as a
puppet; I've never had any real power on the council. These files name a
few of the current councillors as ordering these murders, and Jackson even
committed them," she said sounding defeated.

  "I've made a list of all those named in the files," James said, taking a
piece of paper from his pocket and giving it to Victoria.

  She looked at the list, naming all but herself and the councillor for
South Australia. "All of them? But why is Jackson's name crossed out?"
Victoria asked.

  Just then there was a knock at the door. "Come in," James told them then
continued, "Yes all those councillors have committed crimes against our
peoples and humanity. As for Jackson..."

  "My name is crossed out because that man is dead," Jack said flatly,
standing in the doorway holding a serving platter with a teapot and
teacups.

  "Here let me take that!" James said taking the platter and placing it on
his desk.

  "Jackson!" Victoria exclaimed. "Where have you been?" she asked.

  "NO! I'm not Jackson! That man was a crazy murderer!" Jack replied.

  Victoria was confused but before she could reply James said, "Allow me to
explain. Jackson learned of Matthew's whereabouts and came with a team to
kill him, but his attack didn't quite go to plan. His team was quickly
dealt with and Jackson was taken down by an operative of mine. But instead
of killing him, this operative-who is a master of telepathy-saw that
Jackson was indeed innocent to begin with. So he took all of Jackson's
memories from when he was turned until that day. The man standing here
before you is no longer Jackson; he is Jack, the man that had his son and
his life stolen from him all those years ago."

  "I've been given a second chance, and I want to make the most of it. But
first I want to help bring those people to justice!" Jack exclaimed
confidently.

  "Yes, and I have a plan to accomplish that. Jack already doesn't like it,
and I'm sure you won't like it much either. But it is, I believe, the only
way for your people to survive and to stop the senseless killings," James
said.

  "What plan won't I like?" Victoria asked cautiously.

  Jack looked to James and sighed, then said, "He wants to arrest the
councillors named on that list and dissolve the Thylacine Council then
bring the remaining councillors into the Shadow Council here."

  "Put briefly, yes, that's what I want to do. But it's also much more
complicated: you understand that they won't go quietly and I'm sure you
don't like the idea of submitting to our council either. But I don't see
any other way, and it's not like our laws have changed since we set up
here. Your people would still be free to live how they please, and I'd like
them to be a big part of our community," James said.

  "You CAN'T do that, you don't have the authority!" Victoria stated.

  "Actually, I have been given full authority over this situation by the
international Shadow Council members. That authority includes revoking the
current protected status of your people," James explained.

  "But, that would mean," Victoria began, shocked.

  "Yes, but I don't want it to come to that! I'd rather have your approval;
your people are endangered. If their protection was revoked, they would be
hunted, and that would be devastating. It's what your uncle was afraid of!
He pleaded with me for their protection; he promised me that he could
control his people, but obviously he failed. What will you do, High Consul
Victoria? Will you agree to help me end a century old reign of terror, or
will you too fail to protect your people?" James asked.

  "If I agree to help you, can you promise me something?" Victoria asked.

  "What's that?" James replied.

  "Well two things actually. I want your promise that you will only go
after those responsible, the listed councillors and their comrades. I don't
want any more innocents getting dragged into this," Victoria said calmly.

  "You have my word; that is something we both agree on. What's the other
thing?" James asked.

  "Lucian... PROMISE ME that no one touches him but ME!" She demanded.

  "My dear Vicky, I wouldn't dream of letting anyone else near him, except
for myself, but I'll gladly relinquish that pleasure to you," James
smirked.

********************************

  Thanks for reading Angel in black chapter 18, sorry its been so long
between chapters. please take my word that i havent given up on writing,
and i will be finishing this story at some point, lately ive just had a
little block and a lack of motivation, but i am still writing, just right
now im taking a little break.

  Be sure to stop by my site where you will find a blog with some
interesting insight into the chapters, some character pictures and a few
short stories and poems. also the story closet where I also post my
work. thanks again, Mikey.

   http://mikeysmusings.weebly.com/index.html

   http://Mikey.thestorycloset.org