The Homo Vampirous Chronicles | Book 1 | Legacy Of Ashes, page 25
part #1 of The Homo Vampirous Chronicles Series
The woman had been predictable though, consumed by terror and her own pity. Pathetic really, which usually made the torture all the more satisfying. Once again, Devlin’s instincts had paid off, his choice for the coming sculpture perfect. If only he had the time to properly enjoy it, cutting the activity short. Even with that, he admitted to himself he had spent too long, the day now late in the evening.
With their bodies gutted and draining, it was now time to check up on a long-lost friend and plan his next steps.
The computer was already on, the screen showing the live camera feeds. Another screen showed the recordings, an algorithm activating the recording mechanism whenever someone was in David’s apartment. The historic images from the two cameras were sped up, twenty times normal speed. Tedious but necessary. There was always the chance that his enemy would start new relationships, which would have been a mistake on his part.
Devlin would have brutally killed anyone who brought joy to David’s life. What better way to further break a man, but none of that mattered now because the long-awaited moment was finally coming to its fruition.
On the recording, three people entered David’s apartment. Devlin almost missed it, his attention taken by the present-day images and the unsatiated feelings still rippling through Devlin’s body.
What was this? Intruders?
He slowed the video, rewinding it. It didn’t take a genius to tell that the apartment was being searched, the three orange blobs moving from room to room methodically. The normal camera view briefly caught one of them by the window before the curtain was drawn. He tried, but Devlin’s image capture software couldn’t pin down a decent facial picture of any of the intruders.
Why were people searching David’s apartment? That was obviously what they were doing from the way they moved about.
What he saw told him a lot. The property David lived in was security entry so that limited the chances that these were common burglars, especially with the knowledge that the one at the window was wearing a suit.
That either meant local police or one of the various spook agencies that plagued Washington. This was an unexpected and unwelcome development. Devlin didn’t want anyone else having an interest in his prey.
He dragged up the audio for that time batch. It was poor quality, but Devlin could hear most of it.
“I expected the guy to live like a slob,” Spook One stated, thick New York in the accent.
“Give him a break. He was Delta. They beat that shit into you.” Spook Two was likely Boston born and raised.
“Fellas, got serious tracking software on his laptop.” A woman speaking, presently sat down at David’s desk. So, they were spooks for sure. The question now was whether they were allies or foes of the man watched.
The next part was garbled by the interference of a passing truck, one of the disadvantages of this kind of eavesdropping. A better way would have been a microphone on the outer glass of the apartment’s windows, but David would have detected that.
Devlin was not one to underestimate this particular sheep. The revelation that David was still alive had been unexpected and unnerving, delivered by a hospital nurse previously paid to spy on Emmanuelle. Devlin still had the brief video, stored on his computer, of David in his hospital bed post-surgery. A difficult surgery made worse by the viral precautions that had needed to be implemented.
“Looks like the boss was right.” Spook One.
“Found anything else?” the woman enquired.
“No, bedroom is clean.” Spook Two. “Our Delta Force boy likes his guns, though.” Delta Force, not a new revelation. Devlin knew everything there was to know about this ex-soldier. David was annoyingly infested with a high moral character. He could have been the poster boy for what it meant to be an American.
When the three finally finished their search, they left the laptop. Intent on discovering the identities of these strangers, Devlin had other options open to him. There were other cameras that he had access to, a back door hacked into the surveillance cameras that monitored David’s building. Devlin accessed these feeds now, downloading their view on the world.
He had three viable candidates coming through the main entrance. The images were surprisingly crisp, two faces captured. With a few keystrokes, Devlin set the search capabilities of The Enlightened network to work.
It would take time for those search results to come back as various databases were quietly sifted through via secret backdoors, all automated, so he could just let it run.
Devlin knew his surveillance was compromised now. If people were interested in David, then that left Devlin exposed. Could he risk going through with this?
Silly question.
He knew he had no other choice. The window of opportunity was small and the need for vengeance and enlightenment paramount. Devlin had been building up to this for months, and he would not sacrifice the experience. He needed it, his desire overriding any risk involved. The mystery demanded to be solved.
Devlin fast-forwarded the apartment tape until the time stamp showed the evening, a single figure entering the apartment. Devlin had seen that silhouette image enough times to know it was David. His enemy hovered in the entryway.
“Hi Julie.” David was talking to someone in the hallway, the directional microphone picking up half the conversation. Julie, the woman next door. Devlin knew all about the neighbours, the one he had helped the other night. He had in-depth files on most of the people in that building.
“It’s okay, I know all about it.” You know nothing David, but I will give you an education. “Just work colleagues.” So, he knew of the intruders. Interesting.
A further question came across garbled.
“Yeah. No problems. See you, Julie.” How much did David care about this woman, if at all? Was this an edge he could use?
He needed to think on this. The prudent move would be to cut all ties and let the coming apocalypse take the man. But there was no satisfaction in that fate, and Devlin would be forever plagued by such a cowardly act. David had tricked him, and Devlin had to know how.
Switching off the computer, Devlin stood. For the first time since childhood, he was cursed by serious doubt. Whatever plan he came up with had to be fool proof, meticulous, as it always was. Difficult to do in the limited time scale. He was putting himself at considerable risk, but he knew he didn’t have a choice here. To not take the man now would be a failure to forever haunt him.
Devlin cursed himself, one of the few times he had ever done so. The build up to the revenge had become intoxicating, David’s misery a sweet dessert for Devlin to constantly savour, the pending torture a means to reveal secrets left untold. He should have killed David sooner, he admitted that. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what his brother, Claude, was ultimately planning. If only Claude had shared the timescale with him.
Was it fear that had held him back, though? What if he killed David, and this time felt nothing?
The task ahead would be difficult, but not impossible. If any mind could come up with a way to pull this off, it was Devlin’s. David Collins wasn’t going to escape the death he had earned. Devlin would see to that.
His phone rang. Damn.
“Devlin, we await you.”
“Brother, I…”
“Devlin, what are you doing?” The question was stern, probing, demanding an answer.
“I need time.” Why can’t you leave me alone?
“Time you do not have. The contagion has been released upon the world. Soon the chaos will follow. I ask you again, what are you doing?”
“I wish to kill a man.”
“Then kill him and be done with it.”
“You don’t understand,” Devlin implored.
“Then enlighten me. Devlin, brother, what aren’t you telling me?” How could Devlin admit his failure? It wasn’t just that David was still alive, but the delay in finishing the job. Nearly two years Devlin had been distracted by this failure, lying to himself that he was enjoying watching David’s misery.
“It is a matter of family honour.” The excuse sounded ridiculous when he said it.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I just need two days, maybe three.” Devlin’s throat was suddenly dry.
“No, you either explain yourself or I will come for you myself.” Could he deny his brother? No, as independent as Devlin liked to think he was, the bond was too strong.
“Did Mother ever tell you why I chose this path?” Devlin felt sick, this was a secret he hoped he would never have to share.
“No. She just said you had to go your own way. I didn’t agree, but who can argue with our mother?” Who indeed? “You are set on this, aren’t you?” Claude must never know of this.
“Yes.”
“Devlin…”
“You will never understand how I like to play with my food.” There, he had said it, an honesty that still hid the bigger truth. He held his breath, waiting for a response. He finally got one and it surprised him.
“Two days, Devlin. No more.” With that, the connection ended.
Devlin was left holding the phone, looking at it, as a heavy realisation settled in his gut. The words were what he wanted to hear, but the tone had delivered another, more soul-destroying message.
Disappointment.
28.
Geneva, Switzerland, 1984.
In human years he was close to fifty, but his body looked barely out of its twenties. Claude was lithe, stronger than he looked, able to control his vampire transformation through years of practice and self-control. His superior genetics had given him and the other half-breeds the looks of movie stars with genius intellects. Claude, in particular, had a calculating brain that could match anything humanity had to offer. He had a diplomat’s mind, as well as a well-honed cunning, the understanding of a political theorist who could run rings around anyone living or dead. Most of his cousins were in the room with him now, subservient to him as Claude was to his mother.
Vampires had always believed in hierarchy, and that custom would never be abandoned in his family.
This was his mother’s house, the one her sisters shared, the large dining room adorned with an antique table that dominated the centre of the room. Fourteen chairs had been set, the morning light seeping through the large bay window at one end.
Mia Schmidt sat at the head of the table. On one side were her two sisters, Simone and Giselle. Claude sat facing Simone, his brother next to him. Not all their cousins were here, Giselle’s newly born son still too young to be considered a part of this. For those that were sat further down the table, the hierarchy was evident. In all, there were ten vampires and their offspring in the room, the start of the new world.
Mia Schmidt was the ruler here, although everyone would have their say. She lifted her glass, and a white clad servant appeared to fill it from the carafe he held. The servant’s eyes were blank, his thoughts subdued. The servants were always recruited from the toxic class of humans so that no impulsive behaviour could destroy their usefulness. In the modern age, it was difficult to find humans with the correct susceptibility to vampire manipulation that allowed for their complete docility and control. Things had not always been that way.
“So, it is decided then?” Mia proposed.
“It’s a risky move,” Simone countered, although more to play Devil’s advocate. She agreed with the plan.
“No riskier than what you have created already,” Claude reminded them. “My mother has worked too hard for us not to follow through now, and humanity can no longer be trusted.” There had been too many incidents of late where humans had come close to unleashing their atomic fire upon each other. While vampires and their hybrid offspring didn’t have to concern themselves with radioactive fallout, the annihilation of their food supply would be catastrophic.
Yes, it was all agreed that there were too many people on the planet, a number that increased every year. But any reduction had to be done in an orderly fashion and to the ultimate benefit of the vampire race.
The incident that had worried Claude the most had occurred the year before. Multiple failures in the Russian air defence system had falsely reported nuclear missile launches against the Russian mainland. But for the actions of one man on duty that day, the Russians would have launched a full nuclear strike against their American enemies which would have resulted in a global thermonuclear conflict and its subsequent nuclear winter. Most of humanity wouldn’t have survived that.
That one man, Stanislav Petrov, had saved the world, only to be reprimanded by his superiors for not filing the correct paperwork about the incident.
“We risk making ourselves outcasts among our own kind,” Giselle added. She was the youngest of the sisters, although you could never tell by appearances, all three equally as striking. Claude knew it would be strange to one day wake up and find his mother looking younger than him.
“We already are outcasts,” Mia reminded. “I have already been removed from the Grey Council. It won’t be long before we are banished in its entirety.” Giving birth to hybrids was against everything the true-bloods believed in, though it was the one viable future for the vampire race. The old ways could not abide the new.
Claude often wondered if it was worth trying to bring the ancient survivors into the fold.
“The leaders of our race are stupid and afraid. We have a duty to drag them kicking and screaming into the new order.” Simone was almost as big a zealot as Mia.
They were talking about once again ruling over the food they needed to survive.
“Can we pull this off, though? There are so few of us.” There was Claude, the voice of caution. He was certain this was the way, but only if everyone did their part, and had already started to lay the foundations for what would be required. Humanity needed to be controlled, guided, and reduced in their numbers. They were too impulsive, too driven by greed and ego to be left to their own devices.
It was a delicate balance, the strategy being hatched needing decades to perfect. Mia’s original idea of saving the vampire line through hybrids wasn’t enough.
Humans were as unpredictable as they were dangerous, the Russians a particular example of that.
“It won’t be easy,” Mia admitted. “It will take decades before we are ready.”
“I have an idea to add, if I may.” The room turned to Emmanuelle, sat furthest from Mia.
“Please, speak,” Mia allowed.
“I researched the diseases Claude collected for us as requested,” Emmanuelle continued. The ones that had been stored in the ancient box. “They are all too lethal, too unpredictable. Releasing them would leave too much to chance. The existing pathogens in the world won’t have the desired effect, either.”
“I agree,” Mia nodded. Mia was a scientist, but Emmanuelle had surpassed her aunt in brilliance.
“What if there was a way of reversing the Change?” The Change, the time when humanity’s blood became toxic to the vampire race. This was to be Emmanuelle’s brainchild.
“Daughter, there you go again with your foolish ideas,” Simone protested. Emmanuelle straightened in her chair, lips thin.
“Let her speak,” insisted Mia.
“Mia, your brilliant research proved that it’s the Rhesus positive antigens in human blood that make it undrinkable.” Mia accepted Emmanuelle’s compliment with a gracious nod. While in the Nazi camp, Mia had discovered the true cause of the toxic blood. The Rhesus positive antigen that ninety percent of the human race had. “We need a way to rid humanity of that curse while preserving what we can safely drink.”
“The Nazis were accommodating in that regard. I learnt much from the subjects they gave me.” Claude knew his mother often thought back fondly to those times. Total unfettered access to human test subjects had given Mia many of the breakthroughs she needed.
“What if we could remove the bulk of humanity that possess those distasteful antigens?” Emmanuelle’s eyes blazed as she spoke, matching anyone who looked at her.
“Is that possible?” Claude asked.
“I have some ideas on that,” Emmanuelle promised. “From what I have been told of the old times, vampire technology could never counter the threat. Things are different now. Although they are inferior, collectively humanity has surpassed anything my ancestors were capable of. And while we are limited by the existing technology the humans have, there have been some strides in what I propose that warrants further investigation.”
“And what do you propose exactly?” asked Devlin. It was unusual to hear his voice for he rarely spoke at these meetings when he bothered to attended.
“A virulent virus that kills only those who possess the toxic blood. That holds the promise of eliminating nine-tenths of the human population.”
“How does that get us control of human society, though?” Simone protested. It was Claude’s opinion that his aunt was intimidated by Emmanuelle’s brilliant mind. A mind that resided in the body of a girl who looked barely sixteen. Puberty always marked the point when the hybrid ageing began to slow.
“That is where Claude comes in.” Emmanuelle winked at Claude. “The influence and the money he can bring to bear can reshape human society. Control the elite and control the world.”
“What do you think, Claude?” asked Mia. “Is this possible?
“You know it is, mother. Humans reside in a pyramid structure of control with an elite class at the top. Although it will take decades to perfect what I have already started, if one can control the top of that pyramid, one can shape the world.”
“Are there any objections?” Mia enquired as she scanned those present. Only one hand rose.
“Will I be able to kill as before?” Devlin demanded to know.
“Most certainly, brother. In fact, I think we might be able to find a use for your special skills.” Claude looked at the sick smile that formed across Devlin’s lips. He’d known there was something wrong with his brother for a while now. Devlin didn’t kill for nourishment, but for the pure sadistic glee of the act.
There was a danger in that which couldn’t be ignored.
