Chapter 20 : INTEL NETWORKS
One week after the hunters died at St. Michael's Church, Catherine arrived at the Haven with a folder.
I met her at the eastern entrance—the one I'd designated for diplomatic visitors. Jenny stood at my right shoulder. Edgar waited inside, already reviewing the meeting space preparation.
"You look better than last time," Catherine observed as she stepped into coalition territory. Her guards had remained at the boundary—a gesture of trust that I noted and appreciated.
"I wasn't injured last time."
"No. But you were exhausted. I could smell it." She walked past me into the tunnel system, moving with the familiarity of someone who'd memorized the route from Ruth's escort on her first visit. "Sleep deprivation has a particular scent. Cortisol and decay."
"Thanks for the medical update."
"Consider it professional concern. Dead coalition leaders make poor alliance partners."
The meeting room had been transformed since the early days of scattered maps and salvaged furniture. Edgar's ghouls had installed proper lighting—salvaged from an abandoned office building, but functional. A conference table dominated the center. Chairs surrounded it. The effect was almost civilized.
Catherine settled into a seat without waiting for invitation. Her folder landed on the table with a soft thump.
"Gordon Walker," she said.
The name hit me like ice water.
I knew that name. Had known it since my first weeks in this world, when I'd been researching everything I could find about the supernatural hunter community. Gordon Walker: extremist, dangerous, eventually so consumed by his hatred for monsters that he'd torture innocent humans on suspicion of supernatural contamination.
Eventually, he became a vampire himself. That irony wasn't lost on the universe.
"Tell me," I said carefully.
"Extremist hunter. Kill count somewhere north of forty confirmed, probably higher unconfirmed. He's heard rumors about unusual monster activity in Montana and is investigating." Catherine slid the folder toward me. "My contacts say he left Kansas four days ago. Estimated arrival in the region: end of the week."
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: GORDON WALKER] [PRIORITY: HIGH] [HUNTER INTEL NETWORK: UNLOCKING...] [TIER I CAPABILITIES: ACTIVE]
The System processed Catherine's information and expanded it. Suddenly I had access to databases I hadn't known existed—hunter communications, pattern analyses, historical behavioral data. Gordon Walker's profile materialized in my mental display: tactical preferences, known associates, psychological vulnerabilities.
[GORDON WALKER — DETAILED PROFILE] [KILL COUNT: 47 (CONFIRMED)] [TACTICAL APPROACH: AGGRESSIVE, DIRECT] [PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE: OBSESSIVE, DRIVEN BY PERSONAL TRAUMA] [KEY WEAKNESS: TUNNEL VISION — FIXATES ON PRIMARY TARGETS, IGNORES PERIPHERAL THREATS] [NETWORK CONNECTIONS: MULTIPLE HUNTER FAMILIES, INFORMATION BROKER CONTACTS]
"You're processing something," Catherine observed. Her eyes tracked micro-expressions I couldn't suppress. "What do you know that I don't?"
"I know hunters." The half-truth came easily. "Walker's reputation precedes him. He's dangerous because he doesn't negotiate, doesn't hesitate, and doesn't give up."
"Can we fight him?"
"Possibly. But fighting him is a bad idea even if we win." I opened the folder, scanning the physical documents to compare with the System's data. "Killing a hunter like Gordon draws attention. Other hunters investigate. The body count escalates. Within months, we'd have a full-scale war."
"Then what do you suggest?"
Jenny had been listening silently. Now she stepped forward, her strategic mind already working the problem. "Redirect. Give him something else to hunt."
"Exactly." I looked up from the documents. "Gordon's greatest weakness is his obsession. He doesn't just kill monsters—he pursues them. The hunt is as important as the kill. If we can point him at a different target, something that satisfies his hunter instincts..."
"He ignores us." Catherine's smile was sharp. "You want to sacrifice someone else to save ourselves."
"I want to sacrifice someone who deserves it." I turned to address the whole room—Jenny, Edgar, Catherine. "The region isn't short of dangerous monsters. Creatures who prey on humans, who leave bodies, who draw the kind of attention that eventually gets us all killed. We find one of those and make sure Gordon finds them first."
Edgar spoke from his corner. "And if the sacrifice doesn't satisfy him?"
"Then we have contingency plans." I stood, walking to the map that covered one wall. "But Gordon's pattern suggests he'll take the bait. He's not stupid—he'll investigate properly, verify the threat, ensure he's hunting the right target. That process takes time. Time we use to improve our concealment and prepare for the possibility that he comes back anyway."
The room fell silent. Coalition leaders processing a strategy that required them to condemn other monsters to hunter attention.
"There's a nest in Bozeman," Catherine said finally. "Vampires I refused to let join my organization two years ago. They were too violent, too careless. Too stupid to survive long-term anyway."
"Tell me about them."
"Eight vampires, all turned in the last decade. They've been leaving bodies—three homeless in the past week alone. Local police are baffled, but it's only a matter of time before hunters notice."
[TARGET ASSESSMENT: BOZEMAN VAMPIRE NEST] [THREAT TO COALITION: LOW (ISOLATED, UNAFFILIATED)] [THREAT TO HUMANITY: HIGH (ACTIVE PREDATION)] [SUITABILITY FOR REDIRECT: EXCELLENT]
"Perfect."
Catherine's eyes narrowed. "You're not troubled by this?"
"Should I be?" I met her gaze. "Those vampires are killing innocents. Hunters will find them eventually regardless of what we do. I'm just ensuring the timeline serves our interests."
"Pragmatic."
"Practical." I turned back to the map, marking Bozeman's location. "I'll scout the nest, create an evidence trail that leads Gordon to them instead of us. By the time he's finished in Bozeman, we'll have improved our concealment enough that he won't find anything worth investigating here."
The meeting continued for another hour—logistics, timelines, contingency planning. By the end, we had a framework.
Catherine accepted coffee that Edgar offered. She didn't drink it—vampires didn't need food—but she held the warm cup in both hands. A social ritual. A human gesture that survived even undeath.
Monsters playing civilized. I noticed they weren't pretending anymore.
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