The Alien Within: Cast of Characters, III

Ah, Kurt. That sadistic, s.o.b. vampire regent with a twisted sense of humor. The Master of Seattle. And a serious control freak. But that's understandable. Before his rebirth into a vampire, Kurt ruled an entire country instead of a tiny slice of a mid-sized city.

Kurt's not your ordinary vampire regent. Oh, he can read minds, morph, and stuff like that. But he likes to eat and drink (red wine is his thing), and hanging out on the beach under a hot summer sun is pretty close to heaven. No wonder humans don't know he's a vampire. And his human abilities are particularly useful in keeping his colony and the rest of Seattle's zots in check.

So if Kurt's all that and a bag of chips, why's he bothering with Garrett's obsession to turn Seattle into Zot Paradise? To share his powers with her and Parker? Well, anyone can see the benefits of having a zot haven. But where Garrett sees a utopia, Kurt sees an opportunity. He already controls the zots. Why not humans? Call it a bold new era in zot/human relations.

And maybe a bold new era for him and Parker, too...


P.S. The most fun thing about working with Kurt is weaving him into the fabric of the past to make an alternate present. For example, Kurt's ruling over Seattle's entire zot population isn't typical of the relationships in other cities between vampire Masters/Mistresses of colonies and the rest of the zots. Kurt's unique position stems from his being one of the founders of Seattle in the 19th century (though you won't see his name on any memorials). Migrating zots of whatever stripe had to either submit to his rule or take a hike. Many chose to submit. Why? That's another story...

My World And Welcome To It, VI

(Two young men walk into a restaurant with a cozy, homey feel to it.)

“Well, hello there, Vince. I was wondering when you’d get here. Who’s your friend?"

“Hey, Tina. This is Jack. Tonight's his first time.”

“Hello, Jack. Hmm, Jack the Shark. Has a nice ring, don’t you think?"

“Yeah, real funny, Tina. Can we get something to eat now?”

(Tina laughs and walks away.)

“Dude! She’s knows I'm a wereshark. She's a sniffer--I'm outta of here!”

“Yeah, and she knows I'm a weretiger, too. I--"

"What? Aw, Vince--now we're really in deep...come on, let's go!"

"Chill out Jack, will you? Relax--Tina's one of us.”

“Uh?”

“One of us. I mean, you’re always going on about how humans treat zots like shit and all, right? And they do. But not all humans feel that way. Sniffers like Tina and like those plain, everyday ones over there. Humans like them think we zots deserve to be treated...well, like humans. And between them and us, we're doing something about it." (Vince waves at the restaurant crowded with zots and humans.) "Look around you. Every single one of us here tonight is doing something about it.”

(Jack looks stunned. Vince smiles.)

“Welcome to the revolution, Jack.”