by Matt Rogers
Chapter 11
The kitchen was abuzz with Vampire activity and Wolves sat salivating in cuisine anticipation when an Alien from Heaven intruded.
“Hello everyone!”
“Nat!” Vivian yelled and jumped in his outstretched arms.
Trudy glanced over and gave him a smile which could cause men to kill one another and the two Wolves of LeTorque signaled their hello’s with a wave of forks held in hands awaiting cooked flesh and baked nature.
The meal was the mid-day one, the one some deemed lunch and so was of the light kind with eight pounds of roast beef with mashed potatoes, gravy, bread and green beans. Phillip never understood the vegetable portion of Vampire cooking but kept his mouth shut. He might believe gardening was a waste of dirt but if his mate wanted to ingest what came from it he was not going to deny her the pleasure. Besides, if he voiced his displeasure of the nutritional plants he might be sleeping in the very bed they grew from.
“Hello, Nat, are you staying for lunch?” George asked.
“It would be my pleasure” the green monitor replied.
Nat sat with a smile. He was pleased. Things seemed to be looking up.
“So, how about that Alamo?” he asked the room.
The two Wolves smiled and the Vampires giggled. It really was quite easy to pull off if one-half your species had the power of invisibility and the other could wipe out a platoon of elite soldiers before they knew what hit them.
“We have no idea what you’re talking about” Trudy answered while stirring the three-gallon pot of fluffy-white tater-flakes.
“I’m sure you don’t” Nat replied and then continued.
“I just got out of a meeting with the Governor and do you know what he thinks?”
“What?” Vivian asked.
“He thinks Mexico is behind it. He actually thinks the Mexican government sanctioned a hit on the Alamo. Can you believe that?”
He was asking the four of them in general but was looking at Phillip in particular. Phillip was the easiest to read. He had the temperament which came with trust. He believed in the goodness of things. He saw the best in people and gave them credit before they proved him wrong. Of course, he was also a Wolf and when they’d done the remarkably stupid thing of disappointing him he left them headless but he generally did so with empathy in his heart. He didn’t enjoy ripping their heads off but he felt it was necessary for survival’s sake. People could really cause a lot of harm if left with the ability to do so therefore he removed their ability before it got out of hand.
“Why does he think Mexico did it?” Trudy asked.
“Oh, it might have something to do with the note left behind.”
The governor had explained to Nat over their lunch in Austin they hadn’t been fully forthcoming with the news media. There was indeed a lead but it was so obvious and outrageous they felt it shouldn’t be leaked before it could be verified.
“There was a note?” the red-headed chef with emerald eyes asked.
“Yep, there was a note.”
“What did it say?”
He was watching Phillip’s face as he spoke but didn’t need to for he already had the answer.
“Well, it wasn’t what it said so much as what it purported.”
“What did it purport?”
“It was an eviction notice.”
The letter was left in an envelope addressed to the Right Honorable Trespasser and Tyrant, Governor Austin Travis. In the envelope, on official paper-head with the Mexican President’s signature was a legal document declaring the land in question was rightfully that of Mexico and thus those residing on its lands were in arrears to the tune of twenty billion in back taxes.
“An eviction notice?” Trudy questioned with wide eyes.
“Yep, it said Texas has thirty days to evacuate and will be pursuing legal action if they do not comply.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting” the goddess of good cooking said as she turned and placed the pot of mashed calories with no nutritional value on the table before the men. Vivian was guarding the oven. Neither Wolf could be trusted to allow the hunk of cow-carcass the time needed to cook fully.
“Do you think they have a case?” Trudy asked.
Nat thought about it seriously for a second. The truth was Mexico did indeed have a case. In fact they had such an obvious claim if it ever was settled in the courts the winner would prevail in record time. Texas had no claim to independence because the people occupying the land at the time of the declaration were, in a legal sense, squatters. They hadn’t been born there. They held no legitimate right to the land. They were, in effect, a bunch of interlopers who came in, kicked the Indians out and claimed the land for themselves.
“Oh, they have a case all right. It’s too bad it’ll never see the inside of a courthouse.”
“Really? Why not?” Vivian asked as she removed the beef from the oven and sat it down on the table.
“Because if it ever got to court the entire world would come apart. There isn’t a white person on the planet who can seriously lay claim to any portion of land in the western hemisphere. They’ve got Europe, I’ll give them that, but over here? Shoot, they’d lose an argument to a fifth-grader if they relied on the land laws they have today.”
The aroma was unsettling and the Wolves were getting impatient so Trudy responded.
“Dig in!”
Nat almost lost his hand. He’d reached over to stab a slice of meat and almost lost an appendage as George jammed a fork into the sizzling sirloin. Phillip was not far behind. The two Wolves were ravenous. They’d not eaten since brunch and were running low on patience. Nat waited till they’d filled their plate and joined the Vampires in sensible edibles selection.
“So, what’s going to happen next?” Trudy asked.
“Well, I was hoping you’d tell me” Nat replied.
Trudy smiled for she truly liked Nat. She enjoyed his company and knew he was doing what he felt was best. Unfortunately, his best was not good for them so she needed to tread lightly in his company.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, you did it, didn’t you?”
Her response was another smile as she lifted her fork and took a bite of meat.
“This is delicious, Vivian.”
Vivian responded with a compliment of her own.
“Your potatoes are scrumptious, Trudy.”
The Wolves complimented the cooks with gnawing of tooth and gnashing of fang. Neither spoke for it was considered rude to talk with one’s mouth full and there was never a time when either fork or spoon was not entering the cavity. Nat sat back and took the scene in. He was eating for the pleasure of doing so. He need not for he was of molecular design and thus held nothing inside to digest the morsels. His was one of technical deception. He was on Heaven and his image was projected on Earth. If he were to suddenly explode there would be nothing to see for he was not whole, he was the collection of billions and billions of individual atoms melded together to give him form. He had a physical presence but contained no life. He was the ultimate gaming tool. He was also infinitely patient.
“Nat, may I ask you a question?” Trudy said.
“Of course, Mistress” he replied.
He enjoyed his work for it interested him. The Superiors he was dining with also happened to be his favorite family so he doubly enjoyed his employment when they were around.
“If the Humans learned of our existence what do you think would be their response?”
He considered wisely his reply.
“They would destroy your kind.”
To him Humans resembled a virus. They invaded and took control of whatever they encountered. They rarely molded to their environment, they molded it to them. If they learned the existence of a superior species they would fall back to their primal nature and do what it demanded by eliminating the threat. Oh, the Wolves and Vamps would make a good account of themselves but they were incredibly numerically negligent and would even
tually succumb.
“What would be Heaven’s response?”
The question was intriguing for he did not actually know the answer. Earth was seeded with Superiors to breed a super soldier. It had one primary purpose and was expected to produce a desired result. If Humans eliminated the product would they be allowed to carry on? Heaven had invested a lot of time, after all, and he wasn’t in a position to guess it’s answer to Human intervention.
“We would either allow them to live or not” he replied.
She nodded her head as if she expected his response.
“Why would you need to consider the two? Why would you get rid of them?”
“Because they are an Inferior species.”
“So? if they’re Inferior why would you rid the planet of them?”
The question was an honest one so he gave back as well.
“Because, while they may be Inferior now they have the ability to go beyond what they are. They could someday pose a threat.”
She nodded again and Nat knew he’d spoken correctly. Vampires lived by guile, they were bred and raised to conspire and manipulate. They could read lies, even Heaven’s lies for they were experts in the field.
“Okay, so we must remain hidden from Human view. But we also need to unite the clans, correct?”
Again, she was asking him to clarify Heaven’s wish. He decided she’d earned the right.
“Yes. You were bred with the one trait we felt was necessary to accomplish the task for you must dominate. We have been waiting to see if you could reconcile with the design and become what was desired.”
“A force of individuals designed to dominate all but united in action against a single foe” she said.
“Yes, a force to match the coming Hoard.”
He loved his job! Everything he’d ever done was in anticipation of what was coming. It was on its way and he had a front row view.
“Okay, so we need to unite the clans but we cannot do it with Human realization, correct?”
He saw where she was going and had wondered how they were going to pull it off. The clans existed because the need to dominate made them so. No one save Yin had been strong enough for Wolf or Vamp to recognize as leader. Even Yin could not do it without his brother and he’d agreed not to rule with Yang at his side. Wolf pride was at stake and death was preferable to subordination.
“I believe the only way you survive to fulfill your mission is if the Humans remain ignorant of your existence, yes.”
“So then we need to unite but must do so in secret.”
“Yes.”
“But the only way to unite is to fight for supremacy. No Wolf would willingly follow one who held power without proof of strength.”
He loved Vampires! They got to the heart of the matter so much faster than their hairy other half.
“Yes” he replied awaiting her answer to the dilemma which had plagued him for centuries.
“That is why we blew up the Alamo, Nat.”
“Huh?”
“We need a diversion. We have already issued the challenge to First Clan as I’m sure you’re aware and they have agreed.”
Nat, of course, was aware of the meeting between Phillip, Trudy and Merri Li. He’d watched from afar as they met and even had a recording of what they’d said. He’d even been a little surprised they brought up Johnny being Yang in disguise but was in a bit of a quandary over how to proceed. He wasn’t all too sure what he’d heard was the truth. Vampires were gifted liars and they knew he’d be listening so why would Merri Li bring it up?
“And blowing up the Alamo is the diversion?”
“Yes, well it’s one of the diversions.”
“One of them?”
“Yes.”
“What are the other ones?”
“Well, one is playing out as we speak.”
His confusion must have been apparent for she went on to clarify.
“Nat, are you monitoring the Earth’s news right now?”
“No, I’m enjoying our little meal right now. I like to be in the moment so to speak.”
She smiled and Nat understood full well why the male half of Superiors were so smitten.
“Phillip?” Trudy said.
“Yes, Mistress” he responded while shoveling half a loaf of bread into his waiting maw.
“Please turn the television on for Nat.”
Phillip stood, swallowed and went to turn on the tiny TV they had sitting on the kitchen counter. What came on brought a smile to the green Alien’s face.
“We have breaking news. Hello everyone and thank you for joining Channel Five News at Noon, I am Nick Price and this is what’s happening in your world as we speak. As of right now we are down one Disney Castle. It is being reported that someone has blown up the Magic Kingdom’s trademark and lucky for us we happen to have one of our reporters on the scene. Tim, are you there?”
The television screen changed and the image of a reporter with mike in hand and rubble behind appeared.
“Yes Nick, I’m here.”
“Tim, what can you tell us of the breaking development happening right now in front of your very eyes.”
“Well, Nick, I was visiting Disneyland with my girlfriend and her kids when someone blew up the castle.”
“Were you in the castle?”
“No, Nick, no one was in the castle. They blew it up before the gates opened.”
“Thank God! Well, do you have any reports of casualties or injuries?”
“Nope, no one was in the castle when it came down.”
“No one?”
“Nope.”
“Not even Cinderella?”
“Nope.”
“What about her dwarfs?”
“I… I don’t think Cinderella has dwarfs, Nick.”
“Are you sure? Because I’m pretty positive there were some dwarfs around the last time I checked.”
Phillip turned the television off and sat back down to inhale more meat.
“You blew up the Disney Castle?” Nat asked.
“Well, we obviously didn’t do it ourselves, we had the Beech family do it for us. But we gave the orders so I guess, yes, we blew up the Disney Castle.”
“And that’s your idea of a diversion?”
She smiled and paused allowing Nat the time to think on what she’d done.
“It’s one of our diversions, yes.”
“There are others?”
“There will be.”
“How many?”
“As many as necessary.”
“Necessary for what?”
“Necessary to start a war.”