Blood Apocalypse - 04 (27 page)

Victoria collapsed into a heap in the floor and sobbed at his feet. With great wracking heaves she cried. “Tell me,” he demanded softly.

She lifted her reddened eyes to him and croaked, “My si
ster.”

*****

Damien hovered near the shadows, away from prying eyes or ears. He did his best to keep Rachel to the front of him so that he might see any approaching vampires. He felt his power surging in great ebbs and it took all he had to keep it contained.

“Concentrate lover. Don’t lose control now,” she whispered.

He paced the small area and reined in the power, sucking it into himself and swallowing it deep within his core. He felt the aura of power around him subside like the afterglow of a light bulb once it was turned off.

“That’s better,” she guided him. “Pull it inside. Don’t let anything seep past you that they can detect.”

He sighed and opened his eyes again. She stood before him, her smile warming him once more. “Where are you?” he asked almost dreamily.

“I’m right here lover.” She nipped at his mouth.

“No, I mean, really. When I resurrect you…where do I need to go?”

“Oh, my body.” She nibbled at his lip again. “Does it ma
tter?”

“No, but I want to know.”

She drew back and asked him again, “Do you love me?”

He took her face in his hands and held her, staring deeply into her eyes. “You know that I do.”

“Then does it matter?”

“No, but I’d like to know. I didn’t care before did I? Why should I care if your body was around the corner or around the world? I simply want to know.”

She studied him a moment and shook her head. “You’re amazing.” She smiled up at him.

“And you’re avoiding the answer.” He nipped at her chin.

She chuckled at him and nipped back. “Yes, I am.” She sighed and lowered her forehead to rest on his. “It’s complicated.”

“What is?”

“My resurrection.”

“How? You tell me what to do and I do it. It truly is that simple,” he chided.

She shook her head. “No, it’s not.” She pulled back and stretched away from him, her arms stretching to the sky. “There are a number of ways we could go about it.”

“What is the easiest?” he asked.

She smiled at him. “We steal someone else’s body and I inhabit it for eternity.”

He stared at her a moment before shaking his head. “I want to stare into these eyes for eternity,” he growled. “What is the hard way?”

She sighed again and snuggled him. “We have to find my body and put me back in it.”

“Find it?” He gave her a confused look. “You don’t know where it is?”

“I have an idea, but I don’t know for sure.” She swished her dress hem playfully. “And I’m not sure that there would be much left of it.”

He continued to hold her and stroked at her back. “But if we could find it?”

“Then we could restore it, yes.”

“Then that is what we shall do,” he said flatly. “If the real you is half as lovely as this…then only the real you will do.”

She smiled and curled against him more deeply. “I knew there was a reason I chose you, lover.”

“Because I’m so easily convinced?”

“Perhaps partly.”

“Because I’m such a great lover?”

She smiled at him. “Perhaps partly.”

“Hmm. Because I’m easily trained?”

She snorted. “Perhaps partly.”

“Then why?”

“Your devotion.” She turned and kissed him again.

*****

“Colonel, satellite shows they’re approaching the outer perimeters.” The technician handed him a printout.

Mitchell turned and looked up at the clock on the wall. “How long before sundown?”

“Eight hours, sir.”

“Okay, people, time to make the doughnuts. Let’s get all combat personnel to their stations. I’d rather have them standing around with their dicks in their hands then get caught with their pants down.” He ordered. “Roberts, get your crews to their PODs and make sure their support staff has plenty of ammun
ition to defend those stations.”

“Yes, sir!” Roberts turned to leave.

Mitchell keyed his coms, “Phoenix, get the elves into position. If they have guests, we need to have them in place as well. I want all personnel in place
before
this thing hits.”

“Roger that, Colonel,” came the tinny reply.

“Teams One and Three to the Operations Control Center. Team Two to Headquarters. Lock it down and make a good show for us, Apollo. We need those bastards to believe that we’re holed up in there.”

“Roger that, Colonel. Pablo and his men are already rei
nforcing the windows and doors. We’ll have it secure in less than an hour.”

Mitchell keyed his mic in response then turned to the techs manning the UV satellites. “How are we looking on the daylight, boys?”

“Five-by-five, sir. Fully charged and ready to rock, Colonelt” the lead technician responded.

“Excellent. Somebody give me a sitrep on the C130.”

“It’s preparing to depart now sir. They’re topping off the fuel tanks and the flight master is checking off her pre-flight.”

“Very well. Keep it on stand-by until we get closer to su
ndown.” He turned to the Predator Drone operators on the other side of the OpCom. “Predator Drones, report!”

“Drones one and two are ready and standing by, Colonel. Drone three is being prepped and should be ready within the hour.”

“Roger that.” Mitchell stepped up to his command station and took his seat. One of his staff ran up and handed him a steaming cup of coffee and he nodded. “Thanks. Gotta feed my habit, ya know.”

He spun the chair around to face the operations group and ordered, “Big screen.” Almost immediately, data from all of the different operational fronts was moved to the giant LCD screen hanging above the operators so that Mitchell could have real-time live data fed to him.

Mark stepped up to the platform, “You about ready?” he asked.

Mitchell sighed and nodded. “Yeah.” He took a drink from his coffee and took one more look around. “I think it’s ready for you.”

Mitchell stood up and handed the chair over to Mark. “She’s all yours, XO.”

“I’ll do my best, Colonel.”

Matt took one more look around and smiled. “Don’t hold back, Mark. Lord knows those bastards aren’t going to hold anything back on us.”

“Roger that, sir.”

Mitchell saluted Tufo and stated loudly, “I am relieved. XO has the OpCom.” 

21

Jack entered the warehouse and found the elves standing guard at the door. He tried to push his way through but the solid wall of bodies prevented it. “Please, I need to speak to Horith.”

Kalen stepped forward and pulled Jack aside. “He is busy, Chief Jack. What may I tell him on your behalf?”

“We’re preparing for the attack. The Sicarii has assembled his people on the far side of the dry lake bed. We are going to start staging our ground troops for engagement.”

“He is aware of all of this, Chief Jack,” Kalen said.

Jack shook his head, a bewildered look on his face. “How could he be aware of this? I only found out myself.”

“He just returned from the anywhere. He has the others. They are preparing now.” Kalen turned as though he were listening to something that only he could hear then nodded. “Some of the others cannot come here until dark fall.”

Jack spread his hands wide. “Why not?” he asked. “By dark it will be too late.”

Kalen turned his head again and listened then turned back. “It simply is that way, Chief Jack,” He stated. “The others we will bring through shortly and begin staging where we discussed. But the others who cannot enter until dark, they will enter through here and meet us at true dark.”

Jack sighed and shook his head. “Okay, whatever. Look, I’m not going to say no to any help, just make sure that they u
nderstand, there’s liable to be firefights going on around here once dark sets, so they’ll need to be damned careful, okay.”

Kalen smiled. “I will tell them, Chief Jack. But I do not think they will care.” He shrugged and smiled wider. “They are most eager to fight the vampires.”

“Okay,” Jack said cautiously. “Look I need to get back to the OpCom. I’ll have a squad come out here shortly to escort you to the mustering area.” Kalen simply nodded his head. “Good luck, Kalen. And tell Horith I said happy hunting.”

“I will. Good hunting to you as well.”

*****

“Master, we are here,” the little messenger said excitedly. “We still have a few hours before sundown, but shall I spread the word for the men to prepare?”

The Sicarii sat motionless in the dark of his private car, his eyes closed as his mind played out his sweeping victory against the human hunters. He watched over and over as they ran screaming from the ocean of vampires that swept the countryside, ripping their bodies asunder and bathing in their blood. He had imagined the boisterous Dominic DeGiacomo cowering in fear as his horde flowed over the compound like a tsunami, teeth and nails slashing through soft flesh, his eyes watching as all of his friends were devoured by the superior race of vampires.

The Sicarii smiled to himself as his fantasy played out r
epeatedly in his mind. First the hunters who foolishly collected themselves together into one bunch, then the government of the United States, then the United Nations and finally, the world itself. He sighed each time as the fantasy played out in his mind and each time he was the victor.

“Master?” The little messenger interrupted his fantasy once again.

The Sicarii opened his eyes and stared at the messenger. “Puppet, I have already sent word through my enforcers. My soldiers are preparing as you speak.”

“Oh,” the little vampire said, unsure what to do next. “And what would you like me to do master?”

The Sicarii looked at the little vampire and cocked his head, studying him as a scientist might study an insect. With a sigh of regret, he said simply, “You are to stay here, Puppet. I wouldn’t want to lose you in the fight should the humans actually put up some kind of resistance.”

The little vampire smiled and bowed, suddenly feeling wo
rthy of his master. He bowed and backed out of the train car, thankful to whatever god it was that looked out after cowardly vampires that he would not be called to battle.

The Sicarii closed his eyes once more and envisioned his victory from another angle, simply to enjoy watching the human hunters die, over and over and over again.

*****

Laura returned from the Base Exchange with battery opera
ted LED lanterns and packages of batteries for other devices. She had loaned Barbara her Jeep to take Bobby to the base Burger King to get something with French fries and to let the little guy stretch his legs some. Even with all of the cool stuff at his dad’s work, little boys needed to get out once in a while.

Miller did his best to keep the security officers on task and the rest of them did their jobs to the best of their abilities in the dark. Jeffries came up from the cafeteria with a boxful of cold cuts and other perishables. “This stuff is going to ruin if we don’t eat it soon,” he said. “Refers down and this is the good stuff in it.”

“What about the freezer?” Walker asked. “Was there any ice cream left?”

“Naw, man. We polished it off last night.”

Willis stepped up and grabbed a stick of hard salami. “This don’t need to be cold, but I’ll take it. I love this shit.” He shoved it in his BDU shirt pocket.

“Yeah, man. Just help yourself. I’m sure nobody else would want any,” Walker teased.

“Shut up, George. There’s plenty of other crap for you to pick from,” Willis fired back.

“Pipe down,” Miller warned. “No need to fight over this crap. It’s not like we’re on lock down. The colonel will be back in a few days anyway to pick us up and we’ll be moving our fat, hairy asses to Nevada.”

“Yay. Fun in the sun and all that shit,” Willis mocked. “Have you guys seen the satellite pics of that base? It looks like an industrial ghost town.”

Walker shrugged. “What do you mean?”

“Dude, there ain’t nothing out there.” He spread his arms wide. “And when I say nothing, I mean
nothing
.”

Barbara had just pulled in when Laura finished loading ba
tteries into the last of the LED lanterns. “You’re just in time.”

“For what?”

“And Laura said, ‘let there be light’ and there was!” she teased, flicking on the lantern.

“Yay! Now I can get the rest of my crap out of the room.”

“And take a hot shower,” Laura said. “The lights are electric, but the water is gas.” She hiked her eyebrows a few times.

Barbara’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah,” she moaned. “That sounds so good right now. A LONG hot shower.”

“You and me both, sister.”

Barbara approached Miller. “Do you mind keeping an eye on Bobby for a bit while I freshen up? I just want to grab a hot shower.”

Bobby looked up at Sergeant Miller and whispered, “It could be
hours
.”

Miller winked at him and chuckled. “I’m sure we can ma
nage. I’ll put him to work.”

“Thank you!” she sighed.

“It’s a lot more than I can get out of these other yahoos,” he muttered.

Barbara and Laura hit the stairwell and worked their way below to the showers. Barbara grabbed her go-bag that had her new clothes in it and Laura took her own bag. Both women made it to the open bay showers and set their lanterns on the floor near the walls. It cast an eerie glow down there, but the hot water soon washed away any worries and the companionship kept the eerie feelings at bay.

As the two finished and got dressed, Laura went in to blow dry her hair and Barbara simply toweled hers since it was so short. Laura plugged the hair dryer in and then looked at her reflection in the mirror, holding the blow dryer in her hand like an idiot in the glow of her battery operated lantern. She burst out laughing at herself.

Barbara came in with a questioning look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I came in here to blow dry my hair.” She wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Yeah…so?” Barbara responded.

Laura held the hair dryer out and shook it. Barbara shook her head. “I don’t get it.”

“There’s no power, Barb! We’re down here with battery o
perated lanterns!” she almost cried.

Barbara’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I just…” Then she burst out laughing. “I swear to god, don’t you dare tell Bob. He already thinks I’m a blonde!”

“You? My hair couldn’t
be
any darker!” Laura laughed. She unplugged the hair dryer and stuffed it back into her bag. “Let’s get out of this basement. I think it’s turning my brain into a mushroom.”

As the two women started for the door, they heard the most horrendous crash and an unearthly howl that sent the hair on the back of their necks standing on edge.

Both women froze for a moment before they turned and looked at each other. “What was that?” Barbara asked softly.

Laura shook her head slowly. “I honestly don’t know.” She swallowed hard and reached into her bag for her radio. “Miller, this is Youngblood. There is
something
down here with us,” she said softly.

Miller came across the radio a little too loudly for her tastes, “Come again, ma’am?”

Laura struggled to turn the radio down without dropping her bag. “You heard me sergeant. There is SOMETHING down here with us. And it doesn’t sound happy.”

“Define
something
, ma’am.”

“Something big, mean and mad. Something that doesn’t BELONG here,” she emphasized her words. “Send some of your men with weapons. Now!”

*****

“Sister?” Viktor replied in astonishment. “I never knew you had a sister.”

Victoria lay on the ground, sobbing as Max approached them. “Did you beat her?” he asked stonily.

Viktor shot him a hard stare. “No. She is still my mother.” He raised a brow at his father. “What do you know of a sister?”

“You have no sister. You are an only child,” Max said.

“Not me, father. Her.” He pointed at Victoria.

Max’s eyebrow rose and he turned to Viktor. “The gypsy?” he asked. “She’s a half-sister. A sooth-sayer. Crazy old bat.”

“Do not say such things, Claudius. You know that they are not true,” she cried.

“Hmph,” Max grunted. “She gets lucky from time to time.”

“She has never been wrong.”

Viktor looked between the two of them. “So which is it? She is right some of the time or she is never wrong?”

Max hemmed about. “I do not know. Your mother is co
nvinced that the crazy old bitch can see into the future.”

“She can, Maxwell, and you know it. She foresaw my being born a wolf. She foresaw our union. She foresaw her finding the droplets of youth. She foresaw Viktor’s birth. She saw you lea
ving us. She saw what would happen if he challenged your seat too soon!” She pulled herself to her feet and shakily stood before the two of them. “She has never been wrong.”

“Wait…your family is not wolf?” Viktor asked.

Victoria shook her head. “No.”

“Your mother comes from a cursed line, my son,” Max said.

Viktor’s eyes flew wide again. “All this time you led me to believe that I am natural born!”

“You are,” Max stated. “You are of my line.”

“But she is cursed.”

“So?” Max retorted.

“So?” Viktor was practically trembling now. “So you don’t tell me I am of the family Veranus, you don’t think it important to tell me that mother is cursed and not damned…what
else
have you not told me?”

“Well…” Max said.

“Well what?” Viktor all but yelled.

“You were born a female.” He scratched at his beard. “I blew really hard into your bellybutton and made you into a boy.” He grinned at him.

“You are incorrigible,” he fumed.

“Relax, my boy. You just become Pack Master. You should be celebrating.”

“How can I celebrate when I find out that my entire life is based on lies?”

Max stared at him and set his jaw. “Is that so?”

“Yes!”

“Truly? Were you not raised by two loving parents? Were you not trained to be a Lycan? By the founder of the Lycans? Were you not classically trained as your mother wished? Were you not given the best that both the human and wolf worlds had to offer?” he asked. “How can you say that your life was based on lies?”

“The very foundations of who I am were withheld from me,” he argued.

“And now that you know, does it change WHO you are?” Max stared deeply into his son’s eyes. “Truly?”

Viktor thought about the question a moment. As much as he hated to agree with the man, he couldn’t argue. He was who he was because of his life experiences, not because of two pieces of information that wouldn’t have mattered in what he made of himself. “No,” he answered quietly.

“Then quit dwelling on things that don’t matter and take your rightful place as master of the pack,” Max said. “The moon is almost upon us and we have a battle to fight.”

*****

Sheridan had gone over the maps every possible way he could think of and he simply could not find a vantage point that could possibly give him access to Thorn. Nor could he find a location that might give him a sniping position into the building that he knew Thorn would be in.