“Sofia, got a moment to chat?” he typed.

“AJ! You finally got clearance!” she replied. “Of course, but is it classified?”

“Yeah” he typed, “I’m in the CCTV room, we can talk here.”

“On my way bro” came the reply again. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. AJ walked over to open it.

Sofia Alvarez was standing there in the doorway, her dark hair pulled back into that neat braided bun she always wore, hazel eyes catching the fluorescent glow of the room like they held their own light. AJ stepped back to let her in, the door clicking shut behind her with a soft pneumatic hiss.

"Hey," he said, smiling warmly. He gestured to the chair opposite his desk, but she shook her head, leaning against the console instead. AJ sat down in his chair.

“What’s the news?” she asked, “haven’t heard from you properly since your induction, you seem to have settled in OK!” Her eyes scanned the screens behind him. “How do you keep a handle on all that shit, eh?”

“I don’t really, it’s only my second day in here. I caught something though, Michael was seriously impressed,” they both shared a laugh.

“Yeah I don’t doubt it. Same as the school days, always the teachers pet,” she teased.

“Come off it, we were always sat in detention together,” AJ rebutted, “usually because of me.”

“Helping me cheat, yeah.” Another burst of laughter was shared. “What you need, anyway?”

“How do you protect yourself from Type-V entity attackers?” he asked. Her smile vanished, her shoulders tensing as if he'd just pulled out a weapon.

“Easy cowboy,” she said, relaxing slightly, “you thinking of doing a little fieldwork yourself?”

“Not entirely, I just…” he hesitated for a moment.

Once they'd been inseparable; two troublemakers joined at the hip through all of secondary school, until life pulled them in different directions: him to sixth form with his textbooks, her to basic training with her rucksack and rifle. “Michael just briefed me now about all the supernatural stuff. It’s a bit scary, you know?”

She nodded furiously, apparently more than satisfied with the explanation.

“I understand brother, trust me I get it.” She glanced at one of the monitors, her expression shifting as if watching a memory play out rather than the footage itself. “There’s a few things I can help with, theoretical shit right? But not much I can physically give you…”

“I think anything would help ease my mind,” AJ said.

“OK well, first things first, they don’t like the sunlight these things. It literally kills them. I’ve never seen it myself but it’s a well known fact. They only come out after the sun has set. So keep an eye on timings for that can help with the fear.” AJ nodded to her words.

Not helpful if I’m around them though…

“This also seems to count with fire. Keep a lighter or something on you. The small flame itself won’t do much but if you can find something to light, then that might be enough to scare a bleeder. Or kill ‘em.”

“Bleeder?” AJ asked, confused.

“Easier than saying Type-V entity, cleaner than saying Vampire.

“Gotcha.”

“This one's a bit tough, but the old myth of staking a vampire with wood? Well it’s partially true. Whilst it won’t make them explode into a bloody mess, it does seem to freeze them.”

“Like in ice?” AJ asked, perfectly seriously. Sofia laughed.

“No, no, like dead still. Stopped. They just don’t do anything, can’t even move their eyes. I’ve seen it a few times. They can be strong though, so getting close enough to do it is hazardous in itself.”

“Right, so carrying something like a pointed wooded ruler might work?” AJ asked. Sofia nodded.

“If you can drive it in hard enough, sure.”

“Anything that could make a vampire burn, like a metal or something?” AJ questioned, playing with the steel kara on his wrist.

“Don’t think so. Silver is more effective on Type-W entities and anything else we’ve tested hasn’t really worked. Bullets are good though, they provide enough stopping power to bring them down, but that’s because of the heat and the explosiveness as opposed to the metal.”

“You really love this stuff don’t you?” AJ asked, amused at the expression on his old friend's face. She nodded, her smile widening.

“I love chasing these fuckers, they’re vermin you know? Exsurge, Domine, et dissipentur inimici tui!” Sofia giggled with glee.

“I… don’t speak Latin…” AJ muttered.

“Oh, it means ‘Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered’ Psalm 68:1, Vulgate, the principal Latin version of the Bible.” She explained with powerful enthusiasm.

“Right, so God’s work then?”

“Absolutely. Oh, I thought of another one! You can neuter a lot of their power by pulling their fangs out. A pair of pliers is a fine thing to carry around, but again, gotta get close enough to do that.”

“Maybe a good way to interrogate them,” AJ mused, “If you manage to stake them, pull a fang or two and wake them up.”

“Wow, you’re a truly heartless bastard, I love it! It’d take them a while to regrow the fang as well. You ever considered joining the field team?” she joked.

“No, this is a lot to take in, from everywhere… it’s kinda making my head hurt.” AJ admitted. Sofia nodded, nudging AJ’s shoulder.

“I wouldn’t worry so much, you’re in the office, not out in the field. I don’t think the leeches even know about this place.” AJ looked up at her and nodded a weak nod. “If it helps, I suppose I can give you this.” She unhooked something from her belt and handed it to AJ.

“What is it?” he asked. Sofia pressed the small object into his palm, her fingers brushing his with a warmth that felt oddly reassuring in the sterile chill of the room. He looked down at it; a compact cylinder, matte black and no bigger than a lipstick tube, with a flip-top cap and a gray button nestled under his thumb.

"It's a UV flare," she said, her voice dropping to that no-nonsense tone she used back in school when explaining how to sneak out without getting caught. "Field issue, but don't tell anyone I slipped it to you. Press the button, and it blasts a burst of concentrated ultraviolet light. Like a mini sun in your pocket. Won't kill ‘em outright, but it'll buy you time. Burns their skin, blinds them for a bit." Sofia's voice carried that edge of experience, like she'd used one before and seen the results up close.

AJ turned the device over in his hand, feeling the cool metal against his palm, the weight of it surprisingly light for something that packed such a punch. He thumbed the cap open, peering at the button underneath, imagining the burst of light it would unleash. His mind flashed to the attacker from last night, that guttural growl, the way the guy had lifted him like he weighed nothing. This little thing could have changed everything.

“It’s got three charges before you need to replace the battery, so keep a few spares on you. It’ll also pass straight through the security gate out front, so just keep it in your pocket,” she winked. AJ nodded.

“Won’t it seem suspicious that yours has gone missing though?” he quizzed, wanting to stay out of trouble.

“Just like school, always the scaredy-cat! No, they go missing all the time in the field, and besides,” she turned, bending slightly, revealing a row of identical cylinders clipped to her tactical belt, “I’ve got a load of them. Easier to carry more than to reload a battery, mid-fight!”

“Makes sense,” AJ agreed, carefully focusing on the tactical equipment instead of where it was holstered.

“Right, time for me to get back to work. It’s almost time to get out into the field!” She blew a friendly kiss and turned to walk out of the door. “And stop looking at my ass!”

“I wasn’t…” AJ began, cheeks flushed.

Always the joker, I didn’t realise she was that religious though.

He pivoted his seat around and went back to his work, checking the bottom right of his monitor for the time.

Nearly time for lunch… no fieldwork today, just food.

He stared at the cylindrical object in his hand.

What kind of world do we live in. One day I’m AJ, an analyst. The next. AJ, vampire hunter. No… AJ, Vampire’s Bane. No, no… too much cringe. AJ, the Light. Hmmm… makes me sound like a wrestler…

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a message from Eliza.

“Location for The Coffee Shop.” The message read, embedded with a location pin for somewhere near Call Lane.

Up during the day? Can’t be a vampire then… he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Gotcha, see you tonight at 10 x” he replied. The typing dots appeared on screen for a moment

“See you then xx.”