I stood outside Bella Vista, a small Italian restaurant in Covent Garden, checking my watch for the third time. Seven fifty-five. Sarah would be here any minute, and I was terrified.
Not of the date itself. I'd been looking forward to dinner with Sarah for weeks. She was funny, smart, and had this way of making even the most boring office meetings bearable with her quiet observations and raised eyebrows. Under normal circumstances, I would have been nervous in a good way - the kind of nervous that comes with new possibilities and potential romance.
But these weren't normal circumstances.
The system wanted me to observe her. To test whether she was human or something else wearing Sarah's face. And after what I'd seen with Helena, I wasn't sure I could trust my own judgment anymore.
What if Sarah's laugh, the one that had made me ask her out in the first place, was just another form of supernatural manipulation? What if every conversation we'd had, every smile she'd given me, was part of some larger plan I couldn't see?
**[TUTORIAL LESSON TWO IN PROGRESS]**
**[MAINTAIN NORMAL BEHAVIOR DURING OBSERVATION]**
**[DO NOT ALERT SUBJECT TO YOUR ENHANCED PERCEPTION]**
The blue text appeared briefly in my peripheral vision, then faded. Great. Even my supernatural interface was giving me dating advice now.
"Alexander?"
I turned, and there she was. Sarah Chen, twenty-six years old, five feet four inches tall, with straight black hair that fell just past her shoulders and dark eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. She was wearing a blue dress I'd never seen before, and she looked nervous too.
Human nervous, I hoped. Not vampire nervous or werewolf nervous or whatever other kinds of nervous existed in this new world I'd stumbled into.
"Sarah, hi." I managed a smile. "You look beautiful."
She blushed slightly. "Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself."
I'd changed out of my work clothes into dark jeans and a button-down shirt. Nothing fancy, but it was a step up from my usual office attire. We went inside, and I found myself paying attention to details I'd never noticed before.
The way she moved - fluid and natural, no supernatural grace or impossible speed. The way she breathed - steady and regular, not the controlled breathing someone might use to hide the fact that they didn't need air. Her skin had normal color and warmth when she touched my arm while we were being seated.
All good signs, I thought. But then again, Helena had looked completely normal until she'd revealed her fangs and red eyes.
"So," Sarah said once we'd ordered drinks, "how are you feeling after the accident? I heard it was pretty serious."
"I'm fine. Better than fine, actually." I paused, studying her expression. "It's strange, but I feel like the accident changed something. Like I can see things more clearly now."
She leaned forward slightly, concerned. "See things how?"
This was it. My first test. If Sarah was supernatural, she might react to what I was about to say. If she was human, she'd probably just think I was being metaphorical.
"I mean, I notice things I never noticed before. Details about people, about their behavior. It's like someone turned up the contrast on the world."
Sarah nodded slowly. "That makes sense. Traumatic experiences can do that. They can make you more aware of your surroundings, more conscious of the things you usually take for granted."
**[SUBJECT RESPONSE: TYPICAL HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY]**
**[NO SUPERNATURAL INDICATORS DETECTED]**
**[CONTINUE OBSERVATION]**
Relief flooded through me. The system thought Sarah was human. But I kept watching anyway, looking for anything out of place.
During dinner, we talked about work, about movies, about her plans to visit her parents in Manchester next month. She ate normally - actually ate, not just pushing food around her plate like someone who didn't need sustenance. She used the bathroom, which I'd read somewhere that vampires didn't need to do. She even got a small stain on her dress from the tomato sauce and laughed about it.
Everything about her seemed genuinely, completely human.
"Alexander," she said during dessert, "is everything okay? You seem distracted tonight."
I realized I'd been staring at her hands, checking to see if her nails looked too sharp or if her fingers moved in any unnatural way.
"Sorry," I said. "I guess I'm still processing everything that's happened this week. The accident, coming back to work, all of it."
"Do you want to talk about it?" She reached across the table and touched my hand. Her skin was warm, her pulse steady against my wrist. "I mean, if it helps."
For a moment, I almost told her everything. About dying and coming back to life, about the system, about Helena and her fangs and the way she'd controlled Marcus like a puppet. Sarah had kind eyes and a patient way of listening that made me want to trust her with the impossible truth.
But then I imagined how that conversation would go.
*Oh, by the way, Sarah, I died for four minutes and came back with the ability to see vampires and other monsters. There's one in our office who's been manipulating our boss, and I have this supernatural interface that talks to me and gives me missions. Want to split another bottle of wine?*
She'd think I was having a breakdown. Hell, maybe I was having a breakdown.
"It's nothing serious," I said instead. "Just work stress."
She squeezed my hand gently. "Well, if you ever need someone to listen, I'm here. Sometimes it helps just to talk things through with someone who cares about you."
Someone who cares about you. The words hit me harder than I expected. When was the last time someone had said that to me? When was the last time I'd felt like I mattered to another person?
**[TUTORIAL LESSON TWO COMPLETE]**
**[SUBJECT IDENTIFIED AS HUMAN]**
**[PROCEEDING TO PRIMARY INTERFACE ACTIVATION]**
The blue text flashed briefly, then disappeared. I felt a strange sensation, like a door opening somewhere in the back of my mind.
"Alexander?" Sarah was looking at me with concern. "You just zoned out for a second."
"Sorry, I..." I blinked, and suddenly the restaurant looked different. Not dramatically different, but sharper somehow. I could see the individual dust motes floating in the air, could hear conversations from tables across the room, could smell things I'd never noticed before - the specific type of garlic the kitchen was using, Sarah's shampoo, the leather cleaner they'd used on the booth seats.
"I think I need some air," I said.
We paid the bill and walked outside into the cool London evening. Covent Garden was busy with tourists and theatergoers, but I found myself automatically scanning the crowd for anything unusual. Red eyes, too-sharp teeth, unnatural movement patterns.
"Want to take a walk?" Sarah asked. "It's a nice night."
We strolled through the market area, past street performers and late-night shops. Sarah chatted about a book she'd been reading, something about art history in Renaissance Italy. I tried to focus on what she was saying, but part of my attention was always elsewhere, watching for threats that might not exist.
Or might be everywhere.
We ended up by the Thames, looking out over the dark water toward the South Bank. The lights from the buildings reflected on the surface, creating rippling patterns of gold and white.
"This is nice," Sarah said. "I'm glad we finally did this."
"Me too." I meant it, despite everything. Sarah was normal, human, real. In a world that was rapidly becoming filled with monsters and mysteries, she represented something stable and genuine.
"Alexander," she said, "can I ask you something personal?"
"Sure."
"Do you ever feel like you're waiting for something? Like your real life is about to start, but you're not sure what it's going to look like?"
I stared at her. It was such a perfect description of how I'd felt for years - like I was in a holding pattern, going through the motions of being an adult but not really living. And now, after the accident, I felt like I was on the edge of something huge and terrifying and possibly wonderful.
"Yeah," I said. "I know exactly what you mean."
She smiled. "I thought you might."
We stood there for a while, watching the river and not talking. It was comfortable, peaceful even. For a few minutes, I almost forgot about systems and vampires and supernatural interfaces.
Then Sarah's phone buzzed.
"Oh, damn," she said, checking the message. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Early client meeting tomorrow, and I still need to prepare my presentation."
"Of course. I'll walk you to the tube station."
We made our way to Covent Garden station, chatting about plans for the weekend. At the entrance, Sarah turned to me.
"I had a really good time tonight," she said. "We should do this again soon."
"Definitely." I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Text me when you get home safe?"
"I will." She smiled and disappeared down the stairs toward the platforms.
I watched her go, feeling something I hadn't felt in a long time. Hope, maybe. Or just the simple pleasure of connecting with another person who seemed to understand me.
**[HUMAN SUBJECT CLEARED AND DISMISSED]**
**[INITIATING FULL SYSTEM ACTIVATION]**
**[PREPARE FOR MISSION BRIEFING]**
The blue interface expanded in my vision, taking up more space than it ever had before. But this time, it wasn't just text. There were what looked like menu options, progress bars, even something that might have been a map in the corner.
I ducked into an alley off the main street, not wanting anyone to see me apparently staring at empty air and talking to myself.
"Okay," I said quietly. "What the hell are you?"
**[I AM THE SUPERNATURAL INTEGRATION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM]**
**[DESIGNATION: PROJECT HARVEST]**
**[YOU MAY REFER TO ME AS 'SYSTEM' FOR SIMPLICITY]**
The words hung in the air, pulsing with that strange blue light. Project Harvest. The name sent a chill down my spine.
"And what do you want with me?"
**[YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN A CRITICAL MISSION]**
**[SUPERNATURAL ENTITIES HAVE INFILTRATED HUMAN SOCIETY AT ALL LEVELS]**
**[GOVERNMENT, FINANCE, MEDIA, TECHNOLOGY]**
**[THEIR NUMBERS AND INFLUENCE GROW EXPONENTIALLY]**
**[WITHOUT IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION, HUMAN CIVILIZATION WILL FALL WITHIN FIFTY YEARS]**
I felt my legs go weak. "Fifty years?"
**[OPTIMISTIC ESTIMATE]**
**[CURRENT PROJECTION SUGGESTS COMPLETE SUPERNATURAL DOMINANCE WITHIN THIRTY YEARS]**
**[HUMANITY WILL BE REDUCED TO CATTLE]**
**[OR EXTINCT]**
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the evening air. "And you want me to stop them?"
**[CORRECTION: YOU WILL INFILTRATE THEIR POWER STRUCTURES]**
**[BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH HIGH-VALUE TARGETS]**
**[GAIN THEIR TRUST AND ACCESS TO THEIR RESOURCES]**
**[THEN TRANSFER THEIR ABILITIES TO YOURSELF]**
"Transfer their abilities? How?"
**[THROUGH EMOTIONAL BONDING AND ENERGY EXTRACTION]**
**[THE STRONGER YOUR CONNECTION TO A TARGET, THE MORE POWER YOU CAN HARVEST]**
**[THIS POWER WILL ALLOW YOU TO PROTECT HUMANITY FROM SUPERNATURAL THREATS]**
Something about the way the system explained it made my skin crawl. "You're talking about using people. Manipulating innocent beings who might not even be hostile."
**[INNOCENCE IS A LUXURY HUMANITY CAN NO LONGER AFFORD]**
**[HELENA VOLKOV APPEARED 'INNOCENT' TO YOUR COLLEAGUE MARCUS]**
**[NOW HE IS HER PUPPET, STEALING FROM HIS OWN COMPANY]**
**[HOW MANY OTHERS LIKE HER OPERATE UNSEEN?]**
The system had a point, but it still felt wrong. "There has to be another way. Some way that doesn't involve... harvesting people."
**[TRADITIONAL METHODS HAVE FAILED FOR CENTURIES]**
**[HUMAN GOVERNMENTS REMAIN UNAWARE OF THE THREAT]**
**[RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED]**
**[MILITARY FORCES ARE INADEQUATE AGAINST SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES]**
**[YOU ARE THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF HUMAN AND SUPERNATURAL CAPABILITIES]**
**[YOU ARE HUMANITY'S FINAL OPTION]**
"Why me? Why was I chosen for this?"
**[YOUR DEATH AND RESURRECTION CREATED A UNIQUE NEUROLOGICAL PATTERN]**
**[YOU HAVE 97.3% COMPATIBILITY WITH SUPERNATURAL ENERGY TYPES]**
**[ADDITIONALLY, YOUR ANALYTICAL SKILLS AND RISK ASSESSMENT ABILITIES]**
**[MAKE YOU AN IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR LONG-TERM INFILTRATION]**
I leaned against the alley wall, trying to process what the system was telling me. It wanted me to seduce supernatural beings, gain their trust, then somehow steal their powers. It sounded like the plot of a bad spy movie, except the stakes were apparently the survival of humanity.
"What if I refuse?"
**[REFUSAL IS NOT RECOMMENDED]**
**[WITHOUT SYSTEM SUPPORT, YOUR ENHANCED PERCEPTION WILL MAKE YOU A TARGET]**
**[SUPERNATURAL ENTITIES DO NOT TOLERATE WITNESSES]**
**[PARTICIPATION OFFERS PROTECTION AND PURPOSE]**
**[REFUSAL OFFERS ONLY DEATH]**
"So I don't really have a choice."
**[YOU ALWAYS HAVE CHOICES, ALEXANDER KANE]**
**[THE QUESTION IS WHETHER YOU WILL CHOOSE TO BE A VICTIM OR A PROTECTOR]**
I stood there in the alley for a long time, thinking about Helena's red eyes and sharp fangs, about the way she'd controlled Marcus like he was a toy. If there were more creatures like her out there, if they really were infiltrating human society...
Maybe the system was right. Maybe someone needed to stop them.
"What's my first mission?"
**[TARGET IDENTIFICATION: SERAPHINA BLACKTHORNE]**
**[AGE: APPROXIMATELY 230 YEARS (APPEARS 23)]**
**[CLASSIFICATION: VAMPIRE - ELDER CLASS]**
**[RESOURCES: BLACKTHORNE FINANCIAL EMPIRE - £47 BILLION NET WORTH]**
**[ESTIMATED POWER LEVEL: CATASTROPHIC]**
A new window opened in my vision, showing what looked like a detailed dossier. There was a photograph of a woman with platinum blonde hair that seemed to glow even in the static image, and ice-blue eyes that looked like they could freeze a man's soul. She was beautiful in a way that seemed too perfect, too sharp - like a knife wrapped in silk.
**[SERAPHINA BLACKTHORNE CONTROLS 43% OF LONDON'S FINANCIAL SECTOR]**
**[HER INFLUENCE EXTENDS TO: GOVERNMENT BANKING REGULATIONS]**
**[INTERNATIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS, POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FUNDING]**
**[SUSPECTED OF ORCHESTRATING THE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS]**
**[CASUALTY COUNT: UNKNOWN BUT SIGNIFICANT]**
"Jesus Christ," I whispered. "She caused the financial crisis?"
**[PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS COORDINATED MARKET MANIPULATION]**
**[MILLIONS OF HUMANS LOST HOMES, SAVINGS, LIVELIHOODS]**
**[ESTIMATED DEATH TOLL FROM RESULTING SUICIDES: 47,000 GLOBALLY]**
**[SHE PROFITED APPROXIMATELY £8 BILLION]**
"You want me to seduce a 230-year-old vampire who controls half of London's financial district."
**[CORRECT]**
**[YOUR FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO GAIN ACCESS TO HER SOCIAL CIRCLE]**
**[SHE FREQUENTS THE CRIMSON MOON NIGHTCLUB IN MAYFAIR]**
**[ADDITIONAL MISSION PARAMETERS WILL BE PROVIDED AS NEEDED]**
I stared at the photograph. Seraphina Blackthorne looked like the kind of woman who could destroy a man's life with a glance. And I was supposed to walk up to her and... what? Ask her for her phone number?
"This is insane."
**[THIS IS SURVIVAL]**
**[MISSION BEGINS TOMORROW EVENING]**
**[PREPARE ACCORDINGLY]**
The interface faded, leaving me alone in the alley with my thoughts and a growing sense of dread.
I'd gone from being a boring investment banker to being recruited as some kind of supernatural spy in the span of a week. The system claimed I was chosen to protect humanity, but something about its methods felt wrong. The way it talked about "harvesting" power, about using emotional bonds as weapons...
But then I thought about Helena again. About the empty look in Marcus's eyes when she'd controlled him. If there were more vampires like her, if they really were taking over human institutions, then maybe desperate times called for desperate measures.
I walked back toward the tube station, my mind racing with images of financial collapse and mass suicide. Tomorrow night, I would go to a nightclub and try to approach one of the most dangerous beings on the planet. A creature who had apparently killed tens of thousands of people for profit and made it look like a natural market correction.
The system claimed I was humanity's last hope, but its methods still felt like a betrayal of everything I'd been raised to believe in. Using emotional connections as weapons. Harvesting power from relationships built on lies.
But then I remembered Helena's empty smile as she controlled Marcus, the way she'd threatened to "take everything" from him. I thought about 47,000 people who'd killed themselves because Seraphina Blackthorne wanted another billion pounds in her accounts.
Maybe the system was right. Maybe when you're fighting monsters, you have to be willing to become something monstrous yourself.
The questions followed me all the way home, but they felt different now. Less about whether this was right, and more about whether I could actually pull it off.
Could I really seduce a creature that had lived for two centuries and killed thousands? Could I make her trust me, care about me, even love me - all while knowing that I was planning to destroy her?
And the most disturbing question of all: what kind of person was I becoming if the answer was yes?
But underneath all the fear and moral uncertainty, there was something else. Something I wasn't sure I wanted to admit to myself.
I was excited.
Not just about having a purpose beyond quarterly reports and client portfolios. I was excited about the challenge, about testing myself against something truly dangerous. About discovering what I was capable of when the stakes were life and death.
Maybe that excitement was exactly what the system had been looking for when it chose me. Maybe it had seen something in my psychological profile that I'd never wanted to acknowledge.
I was going to save the world.
The only question was how much of my humanity I'd have to sacrifice to do it.
---
End of Chapter 3