hunters i guess

Dr. LeBlanc looked blearily at her computer screen, her one respite from another sleepless night. She supposes that at least this wasn't as taxing as medical school, but a never-ending sense of duty meant that she still had to be ever-alert. Luckily, for now, it seemed to be a quiet night. Midnight was off, about to accomplish the impossible. Marine smiled; Midnight had come so far. Only half a year ago she had been blind, unable to read, half-dead from addiction. Now she could truly make something of herself.

The event had done much to shake up her perception of the hunt, as well. Despite her best effort, none of it would have been possible without the help of two vampires. Those that were supposed to be the enemy. Of course, she knew the truth was much more complicated, but the line of trust was so narrow, so easily broken. It didn't even have to be the fault of the Kindred. Accidents happen. Bloody, awful accidents, as she and others in the cell were all too aware.

She still had mixed feelings about what Midnight had run off to do. On one hand, it was clear that this was not the life she was meant to live. The Imbuing did save her life, but it brought her nothing but misery ever since. The knowledge that she would die, with no chance to make up for her lost years, with two effectively immortal lovers, weighted so heavily on her. If she could pull this off, she'd definitely have earned her freedom.

But some images are impossible to erase from one's mind. And who knew what fallout could come from this.

She shook off those thoughts, as she had become very used to doing. What mattered is that Midnight was happy, and she seemed to have struck a jackpot in finding a pair she could trust.

Before she could ruminate further, she heard a familiar "blip" come from the computer. It was a notification for a new email. That wasn't unusual. As a professional, emails came in all the time. This one, however, came from none of her contacts, nor was it a professional address. It would have been easy to dismiss, but the email was titled "Concerning the Hunt."

She felt a chill run through her body. The only hunters that had her personal email were those in her own cell. She was rather well-known on Hunter-Net, but her account there didn't have any information that would lead to her identity. Someone had broken security, and for a moment, her mind jumped to the worst. Midnight had given it out to the wrong vampire and this was a threat. No, no, she thought. No judgment until you open it.

She clicked the email and began to read.

/Dr. LeBlanc.
I trust the messengers to have sent it to the right inbox.
I am sending you this email because, in the past few months, there have been some events that have made them very upset, and they all center around your cell and area of patrol. I do not have much personal power to change the way that things are, but I hope that you can.
The messengers know more than you might think. They know that one of your cellmates is going to the underworld to try to escape her duties. They cannot stop this from happening, but I have never heard them so angry over anything. I am the one that receives the brunt of it, but there is nothing I can do but send my messages and hope that I am heard.
I do not know what they will do if she succeeds. I have already lost one from a nearby cell to embrace. The others from his cell think that he's dead, but I know the truth. He lives with your cellmate, and the both of them could give away all our secrets to the enemy.
You are a visionary. You are a leader. The messengers ask, through me,  that you make the right choice.
Please don't try to find me. /

Marine's hands were shaking as she finished reading. Here she had hoped this would be a clean affair, but it was too late. The others already knew. She didn't know who this email had come from, but already she could feel the tension in the air. If whoever this was informed the rest of their cell, who knew what might happen?

She stopped and thought, trying to narrow down an identity for this person. Then, perhaps, she could nip this problem in the bud by explaining further. Return address? Random letters, clearly a throwaway. Damn.

Wracking her brain further, she remembered something she had read on Hunter-Net once. Some Imbued that were bombarded constantly by the Messengers, who channeled messages through them, causing so much internal noise that they had to live in isolation. The closer they came to other hunters, the louder the voices became as they whispered every one of their cellmate's fates.

Yes, she remembered the name of such a creed now. Hermits. But that just brought on new questions, didn't it? How do you find someone who's hidden their identity and does not want to be found, especially by other hunters?

She sighed, and turned away from the computer. So more vigilance was needed, even despite the quiet nights. For now, though, she would alert the other hunters to look out for any strangers, and go get some proper sleep for herself. She would need it for the coming conflicts.