first omelet and poured a second. “We were always taught that sunlight would purify the unholy
flesh.”
“I don’t know,” Frankie answered honestly. “I can only assume it has to do with my Maker. There is
so much we inherit from them. The V seems to maintain its own unique genetic material when it’s
passed down. It would explain how children can share the same abilities as their Makers and be a
fraction of their age.”
“Like your speed,” Snod said, beginning to understand, “and the whammy voice. And the need to feed
less...” He poked at the pan thoughtfully, asking, “What other powers do you have?”
“Isn’t that enough?” Frankie laughed, not directly answering the question.
“You need to figure out that mist thing,” Lorenzo snorted, gulping down his coffee.
“Mist?” Snod echoed curiously, plating the second omelet.
“His vampire dad can totally turn into a freakin’ pool of mist,” Lorenzo exclaimed. “He told me all
about it! When they first met, he—”
“Lorenzo,” Frankie interrupted gently, grabbing one of the omelets and bringing it to him in a flash,
offering him a fork. “You need to eat, and now maybe you can tell me about your plan? To cure me?”
“Right!” Lorenzo nodded, eagerly chowing down, moaning happily, “Holy crap, this is freakin’
fantastic. Like, my God. It’s a party in my mouth... okay, right! So! V is a super awesome and crazy
tough bacteria. All normal attempts to treat it don’t work.”
“Like medicine?” Snod said, thoughtfully poking at his food. He was much more interested in hearing
Lorenzo’s idea, trying to imagine a world without vampires and the peace the Order could find if such
a thing were possible.
“Yup,” Lorenzo mumbled through a mouthful. “Can’t penetrate the cell wall. Nothing gets through.
However, all bacteria gotta eat, and V does this through a process that we call phagocytosis. It’s
where the cell literally wraps itself around the nom and like, absorbs it. It’s rare for bacteria with
such a thick wall to do this, but V’s cell wall actually flexes and softens. It’s the only time V might be
vulnerable.
“So! This is my idea. If I can create a nano bot with some kind of outer shell made of iron to mimic a
blood cell, the V may go in for a nibble. Once inside, the nano bot could drop some kind of super
strong antibiotic load like vancomycin or something. It might be enough to finally cure you! Trojan
horse that shit with freakin’ robots!”
