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31 Days

Chapter 1 Allies, Enemies and Memories

Fire rains from the sky in a bloody path of destruction. A voice sounds in the distance screaming for help. Try to move but can't. Quiet, face looking down, smiling. Black. Blackness and ringing. Ringing?

Bane opened his eyes. The phone on his bedside table was sounding enthusiastically. Bane reached for the phone whilst simultaneously flicking his eyes at the clock on the wall. It was a clock that he had never really liked, a dull silver of a colour which was only made worse by the absurd time it read.

"Yes?"

"Bane? Hey man you sound like crap, I need you down here a.s.a.p"

"Andrew? Andrew is that you, you piece of shit, do you have any idea what time it is?!"

"Yeah I know it's early but this is important I have managed to drag up those files you were looking for. You know the ones about the two-thousand-seventy-nine incident."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, hey, you asked for them and you got 'em."

"Great I'll be right down."

"Oh, Bane pick us up us something to eat on the way, I'm starving my ass off down here"

"Sure thing"

"Oh, and Bane"

"What?"

"Take a God-Damn shower I can smell you from over here man, seri…"

Bane slammed down the phone and slid his legs round off his bed. He yawned and opened the blind. Rays of brilliant artificial light shone through the window, just another service the impressive City-Dome offered it's six point two-million inhabitants.

Bane quickly walked to the bathroom, washed his face and swallowed a dental mint. Then he walked to his wardrobe and pulled out a Kevlar lined black tank top. He then pulled on some black jeans which holstered a number of weapons before donning his black leather cloak. These were his action clothes, the clothes he only ever wore if he intended to do some killing that day. He dropped to his knees pulling open a draw and removing a long object covered in cloth. He strung it to his back and walked out of the bedroom door. He quickly grabbed a piece of toast that he had left from the night before on the counter and walked on to the landing. He looked in the mirror for a final time, he was around twenty-two although he couldn't remember his exact age. He had spiked blonde hair and red eyes. no one knew why his eyes were red but they were. He finished the toast and walked out in to the multiplex corridor of his apartment building.

"wait….mm...mmm….mmmm…. Shit! Forgot the electric card"

He turned around and was in the process of sliding the key Into the lock when a scream resounded down the corridors. Bane shoved the keys in to his pocket, forgetting about the door and ran down the corridor to the source of the noise. It had come from just round the corner. Bane rounded the bend and slid to a halt. A woman was on the floor a few metres to his left smiling a twisted smile that made his skin want to crawl off of him and hide. Swallowing his surprise he was about to ask if she was alright when he noticed the hole in her stomach and the sharp defined red of lifeblood. Only then did he notice the man standing above the woman. He was near six foot high and amidst the darkness surrounding his face, provided by a tall black hood, he could see a pair of green shimmering eyes. He was very thin and wore a long black cloak connected to the hood which was also blacker then the darkest night. The cloak seemed alive. It seemed to hug the mans flesh. Crazily you could compare it to a shark. There exist these little fish which live on a shark and clean it's teeth, in return the shark protects the little fish from all of the great oceans predators. In this scene however the cloak seemed to wrap the man in a protective seal, safe from prying eyes and in return the man kept it alive. "Alive? What am I thinking it's a cloak, it's dead. Besides I should worry about what's in the cloak". Bane shook his head clear and then stared in to the green eyes, they stared right back.

"Did you kill this woman?!", he demanded. The man continued to stare at him, sadness consuming his eyes. Bane almost had to look away but he held firm. "I said, did you kill this woman?!". The figure shook his head and pointed to the body then to himself and then made a symbol with his hands as if he was giving something to someone. "What, I don't understand". Again the man made this gesture and suddenly it clicked. "Oh, you're trying to help her". The figure nodded. The sadness in his eyes made Bane think back to a time when he had felt a sadness as great as the one he could see now; standing in this corridor many years later. Time stood still as the memories he had tried so hard to forget resurfaced, flooding him threatening to engulf him. He felt himself dissolve in to his subconscious…..

Bane smiled and she smiled back at him, her raven hair covering her pale brown eyes. He lay in bed hugging her and she hugged him back. He wanted the moment to last forever but he knew that it must end eventually. She got up despite his protest, and slipped into her clothes. Her slender body almost transparent in the sunlight that burst forth from the window. He leaned up and said good bye. She smiled and kissed him and then opened the door. She waved as she left. Bane would only ever see her twice again.

…..That woman had been Amia, the love of Bane's life. He closed the memories off and focused on the present.

"For Christ sake get a grip on you're self, that was a long time ago", long enough to forget about it?", questioned another part of him. "of course not, you know I think about her everyday, why do you think I'm here now, doing what I'm doing?", "then how comes you still hurt?". Bane didn't know, if he had accepted the past then why did he still hurt? Turning to the man Bane thought of what to do next. Like a dog waiting for it's master's command, the man stood there staring; he was starting to unnerve Bane. "Did you see where the killer went?", he asked. The man shook his head. "Well did she say anything to you before she died, what's her name, do you know?", again the man shook his head. "Do you know anything?", the man just shook his head. Bane was getting annoyed, "Why don't you speak, damn it?!", then quicker then anything Bane had ever seen the creature shot forward and a hand covered by a long black glove flew out from beneath the cloak and grabbed Bane by the throat. Bane tried to hit the man but he dodged it and slammed him against a wall. Choking Bane tried to reach one of the guns in his pocket but to no avail his arms were pinned against his sides, held by the arm and the wall.

"You want me to speak human, then I shall speak", the Man's voice was rough, almost as if he was growling." I didn't see the killer, I didn't see anything. I was searching, as I usually do, trying to find the creature that has been murdering savagely these last few weeks and I found her like this. I tried to help her but alas she was unconscious, probably in a coma, and she bled to death in my arms", oddly Bane could see no blood on the cloak ,"Something dark prowls these streets, I intend to find this beast and put an end to the killing, for this is not it's first victim, as I have said it has been quite busy of late. I do not know your intentions nor do I care, if you are going to help me then do so but if you are going to hinder me…" there was a flash of metal and a blade was against Bane's throat.

"What are you?" Bane Choked.

"What am I? what am I? Alas my friend I do not know but I suppose you ignorant humans would call me a vampire. My name is Drex and I hunt for a far worse monster. This creature is merely a pawn. The company that made it have been responsible for the deaths of many and I wish to put a stop to them. They made me what I am today and I know you Bane, you also despise the Geonetric Corporation, perhaps more then I do. I wonder why. I would find out the answer but it seems that you yourself don't even remember, but you fight for revenge and for a loved one. I hope you will help me and not try to stop me Bane".

"How do you know all this, can you…can you read my mind?"

"Quick on the mark aren't we, don't ask me how though, I discovered it after escaping the lab in which I was transformed. I was an innocent like anyone else but fate cruelly chose me. I was plucked form the street with a handful of others. We were tested on and mutated. Time passed in a blur, I learnt later I had been gone for seven months. Out of twenty-eight only two of us survived and escaped. The other vampire, I do not know of his whereabouts. I know seek revenge on the company, and there sick experiments. They say they are making a cure for a disease but yet they seem to kill more then they save."

"I am truly sorry for your loss and I will not stop you, any enemy of Geonetric is a friend of mine."

"Glad to here it".

The grip loosened and Bane fell to the floor. He choked as the air pumped back I into his lungs and his eyes filled with tears. When he looked up he wa slaone, save from the body. Standing up he pulled his own cloak tighter and close his eyes.

"you know he's right, you don't even know, why do you hide these memories?", "because it's easier then facing them", "you will not be bale to hold them forever, one day you must confront them and on that day…". Hurriedly Bane walked down the corridor, the police would later discover the body and an investigation would take place but, like all the others, the killer would not be found and it will end up in the warehouse full of unsolved case documents. Bane hoped he would have more luck. It appeared that this Drex was an ally. If he could find the killer he could find Drex and he could find those responsible for his pain.

He pushed open the door leading to 'The Outside' as it was called, for it was not truly outside. The dome was one of ten. They housed the survivors of the third world war. There mission was to create a utopia but instead evil took hold of the contraptions designed by the scientists long ago and slowly dug it's roots. Bane liked to think of himself as the person who would one day uproot this weed that suffocated the people of the City-Dome. As he walked down the street heading for the Shuttle station he remarked on the weather. Today the atmosphere Generator had decided that in reality the weather would have been sunny but to the West clouds banked like shadows held back by the light. The Shuttle station was about a block away but Bane had time. He had been working to destroy Geonetric for three years now, he could wait another five minutes. He purchased a coffee in one of the small restraints and sipped it a she walked. Andrew said he had acquired the information on the two-thousand-seventy-nine incident. This file told of the events that happened that day so long ago. He could feel her kiss and he shuddered. With any luck this would help him get a clear picture of what happened. Sure there were accounts of the situation but they were from mislead newspaper reporters. What Andrew had found was the official army report. He had asked for it hoping that shed light on something, anything that could help him find those responsible.

He finished the coffee as he reached the station. He tossed the cup in a bin and purchased his ticket. He was amazed that he still had money. Andrew had managed somehow to hack in to the city's salary database and had signed him up for half a million credits a year. They didn't sign up for a lot more for two reasons, one, they would be taking from the city whom desperately needed the money and two because they didn't want to raise suspicion. Anyway this meant Bane could quit his job and devote all of his time to his quest for vengeance. The shuttle took him to the South District named Akriloth after it's creator Faran Akriloth. Once there he walked to the cinema above which Andrew lived. The cinema was top an old type which showed classic films from years back. Andrew had chosen this place because not only was it cheap and close to the station but he also loved old movies and could watch them whenever he wanted courtesy of the owner, Jhon Herald. Jhon was a kind fifty-two year old with a lot of hate for law breakers. He knew what Bane and Andrew did and saw it as there own 'home-brand-justice' as he liked to call it.

"Hey Jhon" Bane called as he went through the door and in to the reception.

"Hey Bane, how are you, oh, by the way Andrews upstairs in case you're wondering" Jhon replied giving a wave.

"cheers".

Bane made his way up the stairs that led to the apartment that Andrew occupied. He knocked on the door a couple of times and was answered by a grunt. Pushing open the door Bane was greeted by a sea of trash. Closing the door he picked his way across the floor steeping in the cleaner spots until he had come to a desk with a bank of computers. Andrew's apartment was quite small. One bathroom, one bedroom and a living space with n adjoining kitchen. It was dark and the room was lit only by the glow of the monitors as they displayed various pieces of information. Andrew was slightly overweight and thirty-six. He had been an orphan when his parents died at the hands of a Geonetric experiment when he was ten. He had been brought up by a computer programmer who had taken him under his wing. He had been taught by his new father and mentor and discovered that he just connected with computers. He had been developing his skills ever scince. Richard Hartley, his adopted farther had passed away from a virus at the age of fifty-five in March 25th . Andrew got his apartment in March 28th.

"Hey Bane man, you got my burger?"

"Shit no, I forgot you'll never guess what happened to me on the way here"

"Oh I don't know, did you run in to the body of some young blonde woman?"

"Shit, how…"

Andrew tapped a monitor listing numbers and descriptions of incidents all over the City-Dome.

"989 call came in four minutes ago, it was right near your apartment so I just put two and two together and got five. You got anything to do with it?"

"Kind of, I found her and you'll never guess what else"

"Nope I'm out, knock me out, go for it"

"A vampire"

"No fucking way, your messing with me right?!"

"Nope, it was some kind of experiment that escaped from…"

"Geonetric" Anger laced his voice.

"Yep anyway he's hunting them too so looks like we've got our self's another ally"

"We should start a fan club, how about the 'I hate corrupted corporations of evil' fan club, I think it would go down like a bomb"

"right I'll think about it, where's the files?"

"patience my, friend, here we go"

A document came up on a screen listing the official report of the incident in seventy-nine. As he read it it confirmed the story that he had known all along. The memories came back…

Bane was standing at work, the air was freezing and the store was practically empty apart from a few browsers. He liked working here though, it gave him a sense of authority, even if it was just a jewellery store. His radio sounded and he pressed the button to accept the message. It was management. He made his way up the stairs and in to the plush office. The manager, Arridia Oak was sitting at her desk. She had some bad news. Amia was at work in one of Geonetric's many buildings when there had been a virus leak and everyone had died, no survivors, Amia was among them. Tears, pain like nothing he had ever felt, silence, darkness, death? It was welcome anyway, lights, wake up in a chair. In the office, Arridia over him saying how sorry she was. Geonetric was a medicine company that developed medicine for the diseases left from the biological warfare tat had killed so many. Everyone knew they did some dodgy dealing but because they ere the most powerful company on New-Earth no one questioned them, the authorities were paid off and the world turned a blind eye. Six-hundred and thirty-six people died and it was the biggest tragedy since the fire in the North district eleven years previous. The newspapers were told that it was due to a broken safety seal. Bane knew better, he had heard the stories from Amia, he knew that it was no accident. That day he swore on his life he would do everything in his power to get revenge.

The report confirmed that the Virus had been released intentionally. It was a new drug that was supposed to cure heart cancer and the company was checking it's effectiveness. It had a bad reaction however and caused the heart to stop functioning. Bane turned to look at Andrew.

"where's the nearest Daily Scripture building?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to find me some people who can tell me who told them the bullshit story, and from there on I'll work my way up the food chain"

"Got it, lets see, dudududu, ahhh forty-eighth street"

"Cheers" and then he was gone the door slamming shut behind him.

Andrew sat there. "shit", he thought "I could really go for a burger".

Bane walked hurriedly down the road towards forty-eighth street. he was finally getting somewhere and he had a good feeling that today he was finally going to get some of the revenge that he craved for for so long.

TO BE CONTINUED

HEY SORRY TO LEAVE YOU ON A CLIFFHANGER BUT I DON'T WANT TO SUBMIT SHIT THAT NO ONE IS GOING TO READ LOL, TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE THIS AND COME UP WITH THE PLOT SO PLEASE BE NICE, SUPPORTIVE CRITICISM IS WELCOME, I REALISE THERE ARE A FEW SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES SO BEAR THAT IN MIND. THANKS FOR READING .

(THIS STORY HAS BEEN COPYRIGHTED, ANYONE ATTEMPTING TO BREACH CONTRACT OR UNDER SUSPISION CAN AND WILL BE PERSECUTED)