by Adam Thielen
His advisers had informed him that the Behemoth had gone offline and was likely destroyed, and that an elite New Republic force was in the process of taking over their nocturnal research facility. Zhuang tried repeatedly to contact Roland, Danliti, or any other member of the counter-intelligence squad without success.
He set his glass down and pulled one of the adviser's ears close to his mouth. “Can we launch nukes?”
The adviser, a relatively young man with a hard face, looked at him with confusion before nodding.
“I will send the targets,” said Chan.
Bullets continued to pepper the outside of the hotel, finally cracking one of the hardened plasteel windows.
“Where are the rest of our forces?” he asked.
“They are coming,” said the adviser. “Rioters have made progression through the city difficult.”
Chan sighed. “We can’t let them take our research. Activate the Ogre.”
The adviser nodded. “Yes, sir.”
* * *
Tsenka Cho peered into the darkness, her eyes adapting until she could see a shape begin to move at the back of the cell. It grew quickly, as did the volume of the shrieking from the zombies around her.
The shape turned into a three-meter-tall mass of muscle vaguely configured into human shape. It was ashen-colored, naked, and angry. Its bicep and thigh muscles resembled bundles of thick cabling tied tightly at each end. Its torso and hips were thick and rippled. More muscle stretched from below the monster’s ears to the start of its shoulders. The creature’s skin was covered with injection ports, spaced evenly about its body. Thick veins rose and submerged along its limbs and on the sides of its face. In contrast, its unaltered genitals were small, appearing almost shrunken against the backdrop of the hulking mass.
The Ogre rushed forward and slammed its head into one of the bars, bending it outward. Cho shrieked and stumbled back. The monster placed its massive hands around one of the bars and began ripping it free of the horizontal braces. Tsenka scrambled to her feet and dashed down the hall.
“Run!” she yelled.
Kate disconnected from the terminal and followed after Cho. “What is it?”
“Desre, come on!” said Cho. “It looks like some sort of giant vampire. We need to get out of the building.”
“And then out of town?” asked Desre, ordering one of her thralls to fire on the Ogre as it pulled loose a second bar and began to squeeze through the opening.
“Here!” said Cho, spotting faux-daylight coming from a small door window. She kicked open the door and ran through, looking around. She had entered an acre-large courtyard with a couple realistic looking trees and well-kept grass turf. Adjacent wings and the support buildings formed a border around the yard.
The monster rushed at Desre’s man, absorbing the lead without slowing. It grabbed the guard by his upper arms, then stabbed its monstrous fangs into him. The thing’s maw was so large that one fang entered the man’s neck, and the other his back. The creature pulled blood out of his victim, whose skin shriveled perceptibly with the sudden loss, then shoved him down the hall. It then turned and followed the other two guards into the courtyard with the three women.
“We have to kill it,” declared Cho.
“How?” asked Kate.
“We’re going to die,” interjected Desre.
“Can you control it?” asked Cho.
“If there’s a consciousness in there,” said Somer. “I can’t hear it.”
Upon entering the yard, the monster shielded its eyes, stopping its pursuit to let them adjust.
“If this doesn’t work, unload on that thing,” commanded Cho, drawing her sword. She rushed at the Ogre while it was still blinded and swung her blade at its leg. She didn’t give her swing enough room or power to hum, but the blade still dug into the creature’s calf. It shrieked like the other zombies and reached out to grab Tsenka.
The vampire rolled backward and stabbed her sword into the ground. She pulled her rifle around to shoot, but the Ogre rushed at her, punching her in the face. Cho slid along the turf, passing Desre’s men, who moved in to protect her and opened fire with their rifles. Kate followed suit. Her rounds penetrated the monster’s flesh, and it turned to her and charged.
Kate’s drones swooped in from their low traveling altitude, moving in front of their master. The four floating orbs created a diamond formation, rotating around each other like a wheel, firing off one shot at a time. The small-caliber bullets did little except annoy their target, who stopped focusing on Kate and grabbed one of the drones. It spiked it to the ground and stomped it flat. Jones commanded the remaining three to take evasive maneuvers while buzzing around the Ogre’s head to distract it.
Kate ran to Tsenka and started trying to shake her awake. The Ogre managed to grab another drone and chucked it at Desre. Her armored man stepped in front of it, but the blow hit him in the chest with such force that he collapsed to the ground in pain.
Cho awoke gasping for breath and thirsty for blood. The force of the punch had left her face speckled with blood that had pushed out of her pores from burst capillaries. She looked at Kate, then at Desre.
“Use your launcher!” yelled Cho as Kate helped her up.
The Ogre started to charge for the last of Desre’s thralls, but Kate steered one of her drones under its feet, causing it to trip. Desre pulled the launcher off her shoulder and ran the other way. The monster lifted itself up, shrieked, and then continued its pursuit as the guard spent the last of his magazine.
Kate attempted another trip but the Ogre kicked the drone like a soccer ball into the air then swung its fist down onto the last guard's head, shattering his neck vertebrae. Kate continued firing with her rifle, aiming for the creature’s face and landing a bullet in its eye. The giant vampire zombie howled in pain and turned away. It bent over with its hands over its face. Slowly, the lead pushed out of its regenerating flesh and dropped to the ground. The monster healed quickly.
Cho straddled the armored guard and pulled off his helmet. She lifted him by the back of the head and pierced his neck with her fangs, feverishly gulping his blood. Dark red fluid spilled out, painting the man’s skin and the turf under him. This is going to hurt, thought Cho.
Desre fired the launcher, but had aimed a little high and to the left. The grenade impacted against the wall of the building, tearing a hole through the veneer and shattering the underlying wood beams.
“Aim for the feet!” yelled Cho, lying on the grass next to the guard. Fire engulfed her skin and muscles, and her body jerked with the pain from a blood overdose.
Kate continued firing, watching her remaining rounds quickly deplete. The Ogre snatched the last of her drones out of the air and threw it at her. Jones dove out of the way, and the drone smashed into the wall behind her.
Desre inserted another rocket-grenade into the launcher, uncertain if she was doing it right. She pushed it in as hard as she could and then lowered her aim to the feet of the monster despite her skepticism that it would do much good.
Tsenka’s convulsions ceased and her body screamed with excitement. She pushed off with her left foot, sprinting toward her sword. Time began to slow. Dirt and bits of turf seemed to hover in the air as her feet kicked behind her. Desre’s rocket outpaced Cho, zooming past her face as their paths crossed. She studied its trajectory as it traveled. Nice shot, she thought.
Sure enough, the rocket impacted right in front of the monster’s feet, sending earth and shrapnel into the air in a cone formation. Shards of deformed metal tore through the Ogre’s skin, a few stabbing deep enough to become lodged into the muscle fibers.
Positioning her feet in front of her and turning her body, Tsenka snatched her blade by the handle without stopping. She curved her trajectory toward the Ogre, who howled again and bent over with its hands bracing against its knees to hold itself up. It then lowered to one knee and began to remove one of the shards from deep inside its thigh muscle.
Tsenka twi
rled the blade as she leapt forward. Her right foot landed on the back of the nocturnal beast, then turned with her body. The inertia pushed the Ogre forward onto its hands, and it turned its head to look up at Cho. Completing the pirouette, Tsenka held the blade extended. With great speed she turned, such that the blade hummed like it never had before. It came down onto the creature’s neck.
The micro-vibrations of the metal tore the skin apart, then the muscle, then the sinew, then the bone. It sliced through all of its thick neck, sending the head spinning counter-clockwise and spraying blood in a spiral as it descended to the ground. The Ogre’s body followed, falling onto the perfectly fake grass of the courtyard with Tsenka Cho mounted on top of it.
Desre dropped the launcher and cheered with her arms in the air. Kate brushed herself off, and Tsenka dismounted the slain beast. They huddled in the middle of the courtyard, looking at each other. Somer’s smile infected Cho and Jones.
“Nicely done, ladies,” said Tsenka, placing her bloody hands on one shoulder of each of her companions.
“I need a fuckin’ drink!” declared Desre.
“I wanna go home now,” said Kate.
“Is the monocopter still functional?” asked Cho.
“The nanos repaired a leak, but it still needs water and a little patching up, so we’ll have to walk,” replied Jones.
Tsenka turned back toward the Ogre. “Alright. But first, we need all the server data for this facility. Then we can return with the copter and finish this place off.”
“What about the nocturnals inside?” queried Desre with a tinge of sadness.
“Based on the way they look and what you said about the big one,” began Cho. “I think they may be already dead.”
“The documents I’ve retrieved from the servers may contradict that,” said Kate. “The gist of it seems to be that Chantech had figured out how to implant nocturnals with brain override devices.”
“Do you have a way of trying to deactivate them?” asked Cho, leading the way back into the facility.
“I’m trying now.”
As soon as she finished her sentence, shouting, crying, and screaming erupted from the prison wing of the facility. The three women cautiously approached the cells. Weary vampires gripped the bars. But this time, they did not shriek or growl but instead, pleaded for blood, food, or simply to be let go.
Tsenka sighed. “Looks like it worked. Can it be reactivated?”
“Hold on,” said Kate. “It looks like it requires a key. I’m resetting them to random strings and setting the communication to physical only. It’s all I can figure out right now, but it should be enough to lock Chantech out.”
“I’m calling the vampire council offices,” said Cho. “They’ll figure out what to do with the nocturnals. Let’s get them out of here.”
“Are you sure that’s safe?” asked Desre.
“On second thought, you should both get a head start,” the vampire replied, considering how tasty her companions might look. “I’ll take care of this and catch up.”
The women did as suggested and after waiting a few minutes, Tsenka led the malnourished group of nocturnals out of the building. Though it was the middle of the day, the layers of the city protected them from all but a small amount of ambient sunlight.
The team returned with the refueled aircraft in time to see an SUV carrying a representative of the Beijing vampire council arrive. Kate armed the last missile and looked to Cho.
“Say the word.”
“Do it.”
Clamps on the hull of the copter released their grip on the missile, allowing it to fall a half meter before the rocket’s own thrust shot it forward. It flew through the walls of the building, and fire erupted from the hole it created. It exploded deep inside the structure, sending shattered stone and glass flying outward. The center of the facility collapsed inward. It wasn’t a complete razing, but it would have to be good enough.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Cho, buckling into the co-pilot seat. Desre moved into the passenger compartment and strapped in. She removed her brother’s crown and set it in her lap, gazing at it thoughtfully.
“Roger that,” said Kate. She steered the craft around and hammered the throttle.
Episode 20: Epilogue
Preston Nunes sat across from Perry Walters, who had been gracious enough to allow his guest to grab a fizz from the studio’s vending machine before continuing with the interview. His patience continued as Nunes sipped from the thin but tall aluminum can. As he lowered the drink onto the small table next to him, he began to lift it again, changed his mind, and let it clunk against the glass top.
“Okay,” said Nunes. “What else do you got for me?”
Perry’s head tilted slightly. “Did you know Tsenka Cho had become a nocturnal after the incident?”
Nunes stared at Walters, his body frozen in place while he considered whether or not to answer. “Yes,” he begrudged.
“When did you find out?” followed up Perry.
“I don’t think I can answer that,” replied Nunes, lifting an ankle over the opposite knee.
“And what did you think about it,” continued Walters, “when you learned that she had chosen what, according to many sources, was an unsanctioned turning?”
“There’s a certain stigma to it,” said Nunes. “And admittedly, I’m not above being judgmental at times, but I believe people should be who they want to be.”
“Did you feel betrayed by her decision to start a war with Chantech?” asked Perry.
Nunes smiled. “That’s cute. We have a thing at the office. A totally unofficial thing we call Moore’s law of warfare. Each generation of war inflicts one-half the casualties of the last and double the protests.”
“I’m not sure if that answers my question,” said Perry. “Do you condone her actions?”
“Mister Walters,” addressed Nunes. “You need to find a new narrative. We know… fuck it—We know why she was there. She didn’t decide to start anything. And that so-called war was a gift horse, with terrific fucking oral hygiene, for the Republic.”
“I’m not trying to push a narrative,” insisted Walters. “So tell me how her actions benefitted us. I believe the viewers watching would love to know.”
“I’m sure you can figure out the generalities,” said Preston. “Any other questions?”
“Just one,” Perry said, looking at his tablet. “Is there any truth to the report that some of Ms. Cho’s medical procedures were deemed unnecessary and cost taxpayers a significant sum?”
Preston smiled. “None,” he said. “Whether something is necessary is up to our board and the opinions of our staff and the needs of our agents and veterans. All of Tsenka’s surgeries and treatments were fully approved. We take care of our own.”
* * *
Zhuang Chan remained seated with his hands clasped together under his chin while the majority of the board stood in front of him inside the beat up hotel room. Board member Pang, who acted as the minister of defense for the mega-corporation, listened as one of Chan’s advisors explained why the security generals had refused to launch warheads at the New Republic capital as well as Baoding.
He then updated Chan on the status of the raid on their nocturnal research facility, informing the Chairman that the Ogre was dead, the data believed to be stolen, and the facility demolished.
“What is your order, Chairman?” asked Pang on behalf of the board. They already knew what the order would be and if they wanted to, they could force the decision to a vote. But they wanted to hear it from him.
Chan stared down at the tablecloth while raising his champagne glass to his lips. He looked up at Pang and mouthed the words, “We surrender.”
In the weeks and months that followed, small corporations, Ping Interests Group, and even the board of Chantech were allowed to take part in talks, wherein the responsibilities of governmental services would be divided among various committees with representatives from several groups, including t
he common worker.
Though Chantech still held a monopoly within multiple industries, it was believed that without a military force to command, competition would erode their dominance. In the meantime, the masses demanded certain price controls and higher pay, and the corporations were in no position to argue.
* * *
All three women were in a hurry to leave the chaotic city, but Tsenka decided to make a quick stop first. Kate docked the monocopter next to the section of skyscraper on the fifth tier, roughly where she believed she had been held earlier. Cho used a laser cutter on the glass, but the panes were so thick it took twenty minutes to make a hole.
The vampire crept inside, paranoid that perhaps a corpsec officer might leap out from a closet or charge into the room. Such concerns were unnecessary. Officers had more pressing concerns, such as a transition of power that would result in the fewest casualties.
Kate waited impatiently, and Desre played on her com. A few minutes later, Cho threw a large bag of feed inside the craft. Then she pushed a small pet carrier through the hole. The cage widened in the middle, scraping against the glass, but Tsenka forced it through. Little curious rabbits pressed their noses against the bars, wondering what was going on, and more importantly, where are the pellets?
Desre ran over, squealing. “Hello, little guys! Daddy blew his brains out.”
Kate shook her head disapprovingly.
“But we’ll feed you lots of treats!” effused Desre.
Tsenka closed the hatch and sat down next to the carrier. They were awfully cute, after all. She took a handful of pellets out of the bag and pushed it through the bars. Sage flopped his ears in excitement, and they both dove for the food.
“You may regret this, Ms. Cho,” said Kate.
“Are they starved?” asked Cho.
“They look pretty plump,” said Desre. She looked up at Kate. “Ey, can we let them out?”
“Newp!” said Kate, releasing the craft’s docking clamps around the window frame. “Strap them bunnies in, we are going home.”