EPILOGUE - Federal Guidance

[Alex]

The doors locked as the last federal agent entered the Ronald Reagan Federal Building's auditorium. He slid into the last seat - a packed hall was a rare thing. Most federal seminars managed to fill a few seats with govvies who wanted a paid nap while some careerist at the edge of retirement droned on. But today wasn't most days. Nor was the audience an ordinary audience. Every black-suited agent in the audience had been personally invited. Everything was handled on paper, not digitally. And high-rankers from across the country had been flown in. The RRB outside certainly thought it was just another seminar. They didn't know just how important the speaker was.

The lights dimmed and the last agent in looked up at the podium. Normally the speaker would be introduced, but Francis Northam didn't bother with that. He walked up to the podium and adjusted the microphone. "Good afternoon," he said. "My name is Francis Northam, Special Investigator attached to the Eastern District of Louisiana - and Deputy Assistant Unersecretary for Nocturnal Affairs." He looked out to the crowd. "If you were invited here, it's safe to say you know what that means." He paused. "We do Vampires."

A dry chuckle came from the crowd, returned by Northam himself. A large flat screen behind him lit up with a slide deck - and the title slide. Vampiric Relations - Objectives and Challenges. "Up to this point, it has been the policy of the United States and other government to seek the wholesale slaughter of Vampires. It sounded like a reasonable response for the prey to kill the predator. But even from a young age I found myself asking a simple question." Northam clicked the slide deck, and big bold letters declared his answer.

IF WE COULD HAVE, WHY DIDN'T WE?

"Vampires, as far as we can tell, have existed since the first human put the first brick on top of another brick and called it a city," Northam said. "And based on post-Unmasking documentation, we know that they were known to our ancestors at least into the Dark Ages. And yet, they have persisted despite efforts to exterminate them. Why?" Northam looked out over the crowd, as if he was waiting for a response. But he wasn't. "Because it is not possible," Francis said. "And it may not be desirable. If the deer were to kill every wolf, the deer population would explode. The deer would spike in number. They would strip the forest bare and many would die. All of them might die. I can't sit here and tell you there are benefits to having Vampires in our midst. But we should be mindful of the unintended consequences of provoking an extinction."

"So rather than kill Vampires," Northam continued. "Or kill them again. The Clandestine Agency for Nocturnal Affairs has been established under the Department of Homeland Security to understand and contain them." Francis clicked his device, and a new slide with the logo for the CANA appeared on screen. "The goal of the CANA is to prevent the loss of American lives through effective management of Vampires and their internal conflicts. And you are all here today because you have been re-assigned to us. Think of it as promotion." Northam looked a few men in the eyes. "Needless to say, this is all classified information. And if so much as a whisper leaves this room, whoever utters it will vanish down the deepest, darkest hole in America."

Northam changed the slide and began pacing, taking the microphone with him. The new screen showed the CANA insignia as well as a list below it.

OBJECTIVES

• Enhance understanding of Vampires.
• Identify and apprehend Vampires that pose a unique threat to the public.
• Mitigate casualties and damage from internal Vampire combat
• Protect government facilities and personnel from Vampiric harm

"The CANA's objectives are simple," Northam sad. "Understand. Identify. Mitigate. Protect. But how do we accomplish these objectives and succeed in our mission?" Northam changed the slide again. Now a new list came up, with a new header and new bullets.

TACTICS

• Identification
• Avoidance
• Dialogue
• Deterrence

"Over the next several hours we're going to get into each one of these," Northam said. "But as we go through this I want everyone to remember one thing. Vampires are not snarling monsters or foppish ghouls with Romanian accents. They are thinking, feeling, reasoning beings. That should not stay your hand in protecting the public from them. But if you go in thinking you're dealing with beasts? You're going to wind up dead." Northam shook his head. "And I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep over it. If you're too stupid to understand something that basic you can leave now. I have no use for you."

Northam paused and looked out. "I've spoken to Vampires," he says. "I've dealt with them more than maybe any US federal official in history. Some of my colleagues have called me a sympathizer for this, but it's not about sympathy. It's not about picking sides. It's about getting results. The goal of our federal government, if it has one in this day and age, is to protect the lives of its people from threats internal and external. The Blood Hunts, and the Vatican Method of indiscriminate extermination, have failed in those regards. And they have failed because they have failed to recognize the Vampires as fundamentally rational actors. People who want things. People who can be negotiated and reasoned with. People who can be managed."

Northam advanced the slide again. Now it showed an audio player, with a caption identifying it as a clip from "LaVoix" dated to 2045. Northam didn't mention it was a personal favorite, one of the broadcasts that had gotten him so interested in Vampires. That had fueled his passion and his belief that there was a better way than slaughter. "What follows is an audio clip by a Vampire identified as Andre LaVoix," Northam explained. "In it he goes into unusual detail on the nature of his kind and his faction. What he identified as Freedom Fighters are known as Anarchs. We'll be covering them first..."