The First Book of the Pure (21 page)

“We are, mighty Khan. I am your humble
servant. Use me however it best suits your empire and your
conquests.”

He was part of the conquests of Kublai Khan
for many years. They had a minor falling out, after which the Khan
was more watchful of his foreign servant and friend. When Karl was
chief advisor to the Khan in his push to invade Japan, it was
disastrous. Kublai was livid at his defeat, and wasn’t known for
being gracious. Karl managed to escape, and with some wealth he’d
gleaned at the Khan’s court. He hid very carefully, and skipped yet
again. Each time he revived he had a renewed vigor for life, and
more care for how to go about living it.

***

After those years he became something of a
rambler, roaming through history as others would roam through an
area to sightsee, stopping now and again to enjoy or take advantage
of an era, then skipping to another.

Yet there was a greatness in Karl. He had
been Duke, King, advisor to the great Kublai Khan, victorious in
many campaigns, and finally, in the nineteen hundreds, he returned
close to home: Germany. This was not the Germany of his early life,
with tribes and duchies. This was a nation on the brink of taking
on the world. He got to know, and admired the young Adolf Hitler,
one day to be the Chancellor of Germany. He managed to ingratiate
himself to him, and they became friends. He was amazed at how much
Adolf could accomplish with his propensity to stay in bed until ten
or eleven every morning. Even early in his career he had a position
with great influence, always working toward more.

They often met at cafes where they would have
a drink, although Adolf rarely indulged in alcohol. The real treat
at the cafes, at least for Adolf, was always pastries and sweets.
Hitler was a great lover of sweets, and would eat far more
chocolate than Karl. He was a moody man, and many years later even
Karl decided he must have been criminally insane. Who knows,
perhaps some modern medication might have saved the world all that
trouble. Not likely though, nor did it matter to Karl.

While Karl had nothing against any particular
group of people, he also had no problem with Hitler’s hatred of
Jews. Before the little man became Dictator of Germany, as he built
his position, Karl was right there helping. The first Great War,
“the war to end all wars,” was always an odd turn of a phrase to
Karl. He’d seen so many wars that he couldn’t believe anything
could ever end war. Certainly another war wouldn’t do it. It would
take a special kind of fool to believe that.

That war became a conflict Karl threw himself
into with zeal. He remained close to Hitler throughout, and had
serious influence in the Nazi party.

Interruption and Eruption

“Wait,” cried Kenneth. “You’re telling me
this guy was a Nazi? Man, what a bozo. He couldn’t pick a winner,
could he?”

With two steps his host had him on his feet,
both hands gripping his neck in a serious chokehold. “You dare pass
judgment on one of us? Little man, I could snap you like a twig.”
He shook him painfully, and still didn’t relinquish his hold. “Karl
sampled the best of the world, and the best of history. There was
more to Adolf than you, in your little bubble of time, could ever
know. I
knew
him. I saw his power and his will to change the
world.” He threw Kenneth across the table into the wall,
obliterating a large picture and its frame. Kenneth dropped to the
floor, dazed and trying to get his breath.

His host kept talking. “Adolf Hitler, had he
won the world, would have had
everything
. And I could have
had it at the end of his short life. You just don’t, actually you
can’t
understand what it means to be above all moral laws
and codes. You
can’t
judge me by your moral code.
I am
better than you
. That is the simple truth. I cannot die. Do you
get that yet? You will, and maybe today. I will not. I’m a god, and
will eventually rule this world, and everyone on it. They’ll be my
property, so where’s the moral issue with me using some of them
up?

“I’ve set upon a breeding program to make
better and more efficient use of my abilities. Think about that!
Guards and soldiers who can heal while they fight, with the
strength of two or three men. Think what that could mean!”

Kenneth had horror in his eyes now as he
looked at this man. He
was
thinking about what that could
mean. If his story was true, and he was sickeningly sure now that
it was, then this was Karl, William, a former king and friend of
Kublai Khan, Hitler, and God only knew how many more monsters
through those long centuries.

“You’ve bred more of...you?” Kenneth voice
faltered, fear dripping from it.

“I’ve tried, but I’ve had only partial
success. My upcoming soldiers live longer, are stronger, faster,
and don’t fall ill from stupid things like the flu. But no real
Pures yet, although that will come. I’m a patient and determined
man.”

“And you admired Hitler?” Kenneth managed to
choke out.

His host smiled. “Yes, I
am
Karl. I’ve
had more names than I care to list for you, and yes, I admired some
things in Adolf. He eventually achieved real power, and I admire
that. I have real power, and you don’t admire it. I don’t
understand you at all. You should look up to me, and ask my favor.
Yet you don’t. Why? Be honest with me Kenneth. I won’t punish you
for your opinion. I want to know.”

“Power is a tool, a means to an end. As a
reporter I’ve seen the misuse of power too many times. It should be
used for the good of humanity, not just for personal gain. You do
have power. Nobody can compete with what you can learn over the
centuries, and nobody can do as much for mankind as you could. So I
ask you, why not? Why don’t you desire to see good flourish, and
people improved?”

With a distasteful look on his face, Karl
responded with, “People don’t improve.
I am
the top of the
food chain for humanity.
I am
what evolution has brought
about, the pinnacle of the species. I always thought there would be
more of us, but all my own sons have died or aged. One of them, a
Pure, just disappeared for a long time. I’ve researched history,
and would dearly love to know for sure what happened to him. He’s
still out there, doubtless causing me trouble. The others,” with a
wave of his hand he dismissed them, “they’re too petty, too much
trouble, and I’ll slowly eradicate them. I’m the one who will
survive and rule. Me.” He pointed to his chest with one well
manicured index finger.

He touched a button on his watch and Scarface
walked in, apparently hovering at the edges like the family mutt.
“Have lunch brought in, and his laptop. We’ll be here a while
longer. I want him to make notes of today as we go.”

Then he turned back to Kenneth, ignoring his
man and focusing on this one who had challenged him. He must be
made to know what was at stake. And he would find out very
soon.

Laptop on the table, with food around the
edges, Karl began to tell his tale. Kenneth, however, had lost his
appetite.

The Conflict Begins

He picked the story up at the end of World
War I. When that war was lost, Karl got lost too. He took more of
his ill-gotten gains and hid it away, skipping the next ten years
or so. He looked Adolph up and they renewed their friendship. As
they entered the Second World War Karl was more than glad to help
Hitler, although even he couldn’t change the outcome. When defeat
loomed over them, Karl vanished.

When he next revived he couldn’t believe the
Allies were the current world powers. The world had changed again,
and far more than even he could have expected. He put money in a
Swiss bank more than once, and decided to no longer serve anyone
else. That hadn’t really worked out so well for him. It was time to
run things his way again, and to do it without the hassle of being
the man seated on the throne, so to speak.

His empire was nearly invisible, dealing with
narcotics and power instead of armies and thrones. He moved to
America, because it seemed clear that the next wave of world
dominance would be centered there. And he was right. His power base
was in New York, through which passed the wealth of the world.
Through his lieutenants, mostly German, he ran his enterprises from
the shadows, unseen by most. He was an industrialist, an inventor,
and a recluse with homes and facilities all over the world.

At his New York office desk one day his
executive assistant came in and asked, “Is there anything you would
like done about the forestry division, sir?”

“Why do you ask, Reg? Do we have another
problem?”

“There is the matter of M & R, who want
to block your mineral rights in the 10,000 acre section of Canada.
They undercut you and seem to have the inside track to get those
rights.”

“How tough are they, Reg? Do we need to send
in someone to dissuade their management?”

“Mr. Ramsey did, sir, and his men never
showed up again, no reports or contacts from them at all. A meeting
with him is on your schedule for next week, if he makes it.”

“The mineral rights to that parcel could
amount to a great deal of money to us. I want it done, and fast.
The government has been giving us trouble, and we’ve been
negotiating with M & R for over a year. I’m sick to death of
attorneys. Arrange a meeting for me with the M and the R of M &
R. Let’s get this done.”

“Yes, sir, right away, sir.”

It was business as usual for a few weeks, and
then the meeting arrived. Karl and his entourage showed up in
Toronto near the home office of M & R, and prepared for the
meeting the next morning. They’d chosen a neutral place: a
conference area in a downtown hotel. Karl had guards in place, and
felt confident that his planning was comprehensive. He’d let
himself blame terrorists for some of his actions at times. After
all, who wouldn’t rather cry, “Terrorist!” than face the music
themselves? This could be another such time, depending on whether
or not he had to be brutal. But alas, unknown to him, his
opponents, Max and Robert, felt very much the same.

Max and Robert reunited after Robert showed
up and retrieved the other half of their money. They’d truly
enjoyed their working relationship and felt like family. Both
wanted to continue it. Neither told the other where they’d been
when they skipped. Since they had been successful hiding places,
they could be used again at need. Their trust was only so deep,
after all. They were now their own grandsons; at least the legal
records showed that to be true. Their financial empire had grown
while they skipped, and even with the ups and downs it had
experienced, they had quite an enterprise to run.

They prepared to meet their opponents in
Toronto to deal with the mineral rights issue. They had guards that
looked more like a SWAT team, both seen and hidden, along with
advisors, attorneys, and personal assistants. Both sides were
coming with a large group, and both intended to get what they
wanted. This was more than two successful companies vying for the
same thing. This was a set up at which both sides were absolutely
sure they couldn’t be challenged. Each side believed they had far
more experience than the other side could possibly have. This was
the human version of the irresistible force meeting the immovable
object.

***

As they met in the main conference room, they
began their negotiations. It turned ugly fast. The immovable object
and the irresistible force were coming together for a major clash.
When they all withdrew for a break, both sides tried some drastic
means. Max and Robert caught Karl and two bodyguards in the hall.
“Withdraw your offer, Karl, or you won’t like what happens.” Max
couldn’t help it; something about Karl made his teeth hurt. The man
was like a canker sore to him. He could tell Robert had the same
feeling about him.

“Nonsense! Withdraw yours, or you and your
pretty sidekick there will get hurt.” He nodded at Robert. His gaze
settled on Robert for too long a moment, and then he motioned to
his guards, who stepped right up. Max and Robert were men of
action, and men of another age, so they met this open threat with
force. Both of them suddenly had knives in their hands, and met the
attack of the bodyguards with grim violence. As his men were put
down, Karl pulled out a derringer and fired point blank at Max. It
struck him in the chest on his right side, and pushed him back, but
he didn’t go down. The killer in Max, that demon he fought to keep
suppressed, rose up suddenly and flashed a humorless smile at Karl.
“For that, you die.”

Karl fired again and Max dropped to his
knees. As he fell, the knife Robert had thrown lodged in Karl’s
right shoulder. He screamed in pain, jerked out the knife and threw
it back with less precision. Men from both sides were rushing into
the room, and the melee rapidly grew out of anyone’s control, like
a storm that moved in fast; the rain started, then ramped up to a
point of near invisibility. Both sides already had men down when
the automatic weapons fire started.

What seemed like a long, sustained battle
took only minutes. The screams of the wounded and dying, combined
with the sirens of the city, reminded them of where they were. The
situation had gone to critical mass in moments. Nobody had expected
or planned for a disaster of this magnitude.

Between spurts of weapons fire, both groups
finally managed a retreat, and Karl, Robert and Max were all aware
that the three of them had left under their own steam. That should
not
have happened with all the physical damage they’d each
taken. Karl was desperately wondering what had gone wrong. He left
a lieutenant on site to make sure all the wounded from both sides,
now witnesses, were dead.