by Spark, Luc
“Listen here my land is fenced off from all sides…North, South, East, and West… unless you have a very good reason for being here I suggest you leave now before I alert the authorities… and why do you have fangs are you off to a fancy dress party?”
Tensions running high with mission failure imminent a choice had to be made. Does the vampire coven simply eliminate these three adult men and seize the boy henceforth allowing them access to the big city? Or do they carry on with this charade of spouting lies until the landowner recedes? Viorel was becoming increasingly more astute as his vampirism evolved; he was becoming a master of deception.
“Sir we will gladly vacate your land but the night is drawing in and we have no designated lodgings… for a generous sum could we take rest in one of your outbuildings for the evening? At first light, we will swiftly remove ourselves and will never bother you again”
The young child caught Viorel’s stare and suddenly felt an irrational urge to speak
“Father I believe these people mean us no harm… I see only good in them. Why don’t we be decent human beings and grant their request?”
The landowner heeding the boy’s advice relieved his two workers of duty and escorted the vampires over to his largest outbuilding which was a huge storehouse filled with barrels upon barrels of wine. He told his boy to go to the main house to fetch blankets and pillows and some lanterns for the night. Viorel shook the man’s hand and made the promise to make payment upon the group’s departure. This was, of course, a complete falsehood as the group had no Italian lira.
A now invigorated boy returned with the sleeping equipment and whilst the landowner had his back turned the boy reached out to Viorel.
“Can I please tell you something? I am an altar boy at Milan Cathedral and it’s a great honor to serve there but something happened to me not long ago. It’s something that has given me nightmares all the time and I cannot hold my tongue any longer. Somebody has to know the truth”
Viorel could feel that this young altar boy was genuine and had suffered toil at the hands of someone. The boy’s gaze was sincere and his tone direct there was no deception here.
This could be a vital piece of information that may aid the mission.
“Go on young one please do tell me what happened to you,” said Viorel
The altar boy in a quickened voice enlightened Viorel on the events of the Lucifer movement gathering and also how he had been gagged and bound inside the vestry closet. Information like this does not drop from the skies neither does it come spouting up from the ground. A vital clue and piece of the puzzle had been gifted, was this the Alset’s doing? Had they magically intervened at this moment or was this sheer bloody good luck and coincidence that in all of the places of the world they arrive right in the spot of a vital clue?
The information was enough to go on for now … The Satanists were headed to Kazakhstan to acquire themselves an airship. With dawn breaking over the hills the group sent Ivan to steadily and cautiously reunite them with the weapons they had brought through the time portal. Once returned it was a matter of severe urgency to vacate the area immediately before the landowner or one of his workers came along to demand the lodging payment.
All kitted out once again the group kept low below the vines and vaulted the fence line to the neighboring field. Now this feat and temporary slowing down of proceedings had been ended it was on to Milan and to find some relevant mode of transport that could get them to this unknown place called Kazakhstan. The whole world around them was exciting and fresh with buildings made of materials they had never heard of, in the city of Milan cars and motorbikes sped by the vampires at what seemed to them colossal levels of momentum.
In this bizarre and shiny new alien world, they would have to get some advice from a local on the fastest mode of transport. This was no longer a world dominated by the horse and cart.
After conversing with a number of men and women it was decided that the most efficient transport method would be to take a train. It would involve a series of link ups across northern Italy and through the Balkan countries, all the time keeping their fangs out of sight as to not alert unwarranted attention. The Milan Metro was of no use as it would only shuttle them to key points within the city. It would be of no use to get them to Kazakhstan. There was only one choice and it would be to travel from Milan Central Station. Viorel and Alexander were rather enjoying the Italian culture and were busy ogling some beautiful café waitresses when Dretore clicked his fingers to signal to form a huddle again.
“My friends it is time to make the most important journey that vampire kind may ever make. We will succeed or die trying. The Satanists think that by being airborne they are untouchable. What they do not realize is they have a band of super humans intent on crushing them. We will find these infidels and end their devil doing before they even know of our existence. Our only issue is where we are going to stow our weapons?” said Dretore.
Unbelievably the locals thought that the vampire group was merely a historical reenactment group taking some time out from a day’s performance. The question Dretore had posed did raise a few self-doubts amongst the group as to how they would be able to travel without ending up in some jail cell. Elena and Alexis had found some very chic and glamorous makeup shops. With no Italian lira to purchase anything with they were now both a bit miffed and wanted to get the next stage of the mission underway. Elena raised the next question
“Just how are we going to get any train tickets without any money? Unless we can sell some disposable items we will have to be stowaways”
The longer the doubts began to fly around the more time was being lost and the potential for the mission to fail. Ivan was now in the right state of mind to put his thoughts out there as time was of the essence.
“My coven friends let’s just sneak onto the rear platform of the first available I think they are called freight trains… we can hitch if we are clever and determined enough… let’s just make sure this particular train is headed in the right direction “
Dretore being the elected leader had to put his foot down.
“How are we going to know what this freight train looks like? We will need to get some more valuable information on the ins and outs of trains. Okay, the decision is made we hitch our way to the final destination Kazakhstan. My coven let’s get to the central station and await the next phase of the mission”
Off to the central station they went. Like a bunch of cave dwellers they had no idea if this plan would work but at that moment there was no other alternative, the dark matter in their bodies was for time travel and not mere location hopping.
Rain Arcane (Дождь тайный) Military Base, Siberia, 1982
With the Nagirag majestically floating in a static formation around a few thousand feet above the Rain Arcane base, the Lucifer group gathered a meeting in preparation to storm the facility. The weather outside was frightful with the thermometer outside the bases main entrance showing a finger freezing -30c. In the main lounge area, the airship was not very well stocked in terms of weaponry supplies. Mounted on the walls were some assault rifles and pistols of various manufacturers enough for one for each of the Satanists to wield. Jürgen elected to go for the standard AK-47 Kalashnikov with its rapid fire capabilities it could spew out bullets like no man’s business.
Soon the other members of sickness had chosen their methods of defense, Marcello’s captain decided on a simple sidearm of Chinese origin. He figured that he should be the last to get attacked and will go down with the ship if the event occurred.
Marcello opted for the slightly rusting double barrelled shotgun as he felt he sent out a clear message that he was the most dangerous of the entire Lucifer group. Up till now, he had not truly begun to show his possessed abilities and the depths of which he would descend in order to achieve his goals. He had restrained himself from any type of physical attack as the situation had not yet arisen. However, he knew that the time may be coming soon to unleash the in
grained demon wrath that had consumed him and also allowed him to build his growing army through sheer hegemony.
The wind outside and beneath the Nagirag was buffeting the propellers nestled behind the gondola, with engines at idle the ship was being rocked from side to side. Jürgen undisputed made his way over to the exit hatch along with Dmitri who explicitly declared he did not require any form of firearm. Both had found and got settled into wearing the established parachute, this was going to be practically a base jump and they would only have seconds in which to release the chutes. Exit hatch open with the icy winds blasting their faces both men took a few steps back and then Geronimo and out falling earthwards to the Siberian tundra.
A first notable object that came into view was the two hundred foot radio mast which was still flashing its red light, for a moment it appeared that the red light may illuminate Dmitri and Jürgen prematurely and possibly compromise the whole extraction mission. With no visible guards on the ground, the two men made a soft and relatively painless landing onto the thick and glossy looking tundra. Nothing seemed to have changed at this covert base. The two water towers were still glazed in frost at either side of the main steel door. As before at the exterior of the base were the jeeps and tanks and the intimidating R-17 Scud Launcher. None of these military items were of any use to the Lucifer group as the Nagirag would not be able to accommodate them despite its huge envelope. Once landed the two men cut their chutes and began to side step and shimmer cautiously to the main door. Jürgen did not want to risk an open firefight if it could be prevented. No amount of Satan worshipping would stop a speeding bullet from piercing one of his vital organs if he got into someone’s line of sight. Dmitri on the other hand was more reckless as he had his superior psychic abilities to cover his ass if things got ugly.
Once at the main steel door, Jürgen engaged the retinal scan and then doubled up with the fingerprint scanner. Fortunately for the blasphemers, his fingerprints were still valid and sufficient enough to allow the men access to the control room. The whole base was giving off an aura that suggested it was locked in time. General Kozlov had not rushed to see who the person was entering the control room.
‘This is way too easy’ Jürgen thought
“Dmitri welcome to my former place of work and residence. Why Kozlov has not intercepted us is baffling. Come we must locate my team members and move with haste before our luck takes a turn” said Jürgen.
Dmitri nodded in agreement and the two of them headed towards the scientist’s desk station. Everything was as Jürgen had left it before his absence. The loud speaker above the desk was playing some Russian folk music which seemed to be on a loop. They arrived at the cafeteria to a rapturous applause.
“The legend has returned!”
“What a sight for sore eyes!”
It was almost causing Jürgen to feel some shred of human emotion, this warm and humbling welcome back to the base. On arrival the place had appeared desolate and totally abandoned, now suddenly there was life again.
“My friends and trusty colleagues… where is General Kozlov for I must speak with him urgently? I would like you all to accompany me outside and to join my new team in the skies above… This new employer pays handsomely, I know some of you may be religious but I ask you to have faith in me as you did before” said Jürgen
The bio molecular expert stepped up to the two Satanists and shook the hands of both men.
“You have no idea how bleak this place has become. The pay is crap; the conditions have deteriorated since you left Jürgen. General Kozlov is at deaths doors and yet he still insists on knocking back the vodka like its sodding water! This base has become like working in a gulag, communication with the outside world has become a complete joke. The only thing that we have progressed with the HGL virus is we have acquired some human test subjects … the virus works Jürgen… it really does work… test subjects are being sourced from the hostels of Murmansk. These are individuals that society has washed their hands of. Despite this success, we are finding our pay packets heavily reduced and taxed. We all want out … you lead the way and we will follow… we have a few test subjects we can bring along also” said the bio molecular genius.
With no more time needed to be spent on pleasantries and the catching up complete. All Rain Arcane team members and the two Satanists began to gather up whatever documents and research files would be needed in order to continue development aboard the Nagirag. By the time everyone had collected their personal belongings and gagged and bounded the test subjects a thorn emerged.
It was General Kozlov himself, blazed up to the eyeballs on morphine. He had been self-prescribing the drug as a means to reduce his muscle and joint pains, and also because he had become feeble minded. He could no longer go a day without some form of chemical abuse. This slow deterioration had had a hugely adverse effect on the Rain Arcane team’s morale.
“What do you think you are doing… this is my facility… where the hell have you been comrade Mixope?!” shouted Kozlov
He would then proceed to draw from his utility belt a Spetsnaz issue machete with its curved blade. The General’s face was beet red and his mouth was foaming … saliva falling down onto his unwashed uniform. An intimidating sight indeed but he had not figured on Jürgen’s new colleague Dmitri who was standing alongside ready to pounce.
“Come on comrade I want an answer… I gave you permission to leave for a brief period…Not completely abandon your post and duties… I could have you court martialed for dereliction of duty… the gulag would be appropriate for you!” Kozlov said in growing anger
The team members and test subjects began to file out of the facility keeping an ever watchful eye on the raging General. As they made their way through the main steel door and out into the exterior the General headed over to Jürgen’s desk station.
“I gave you this job… I was going to have you succeed me… you have stabbed me in the back comrade… you will now feel what real pain is… first, your bloody depraved fascist Napoleon portrait will be destroyed… just as you have destroyed my trust… you think you can take my employees and I’ll let you simply walk out of here?… fuck you!”
Now Jürgen was getting riled up at the sight of his beloved old portrait being hacked and slashed to pieces, the scene was set for a bloody showdown.
“How dare you commit such an act of savagery… you stupid sodding pisshead!” blared Jürgen
It was on; the sick scientist made a dash for the General and butted him in the nose with his rifle. This had the desired effect of drawing blood and a satisfying crunch of bone could be heard. The General fell to his knees dropping his machete and clutching his nose in agony.
“Argh, you frigging traitor… I should have you shot for treason… you will not get away with this!” screamed Kozlov
Jürgen was done with this situation and about turned and headed to the exterior of the base; behind him, Kozlov was steadying himself to his feet. Once again the General picked up his machete and let out a shock inducing battle cry that would unnerve even the most battle hardened man. Jürgen turned around in gut wrenching fear and shouted across to his colleague Dmitri.
“Help Dmitri this man is insane and I don’t even know how to use this bloody rifle, I only learned to turn the safety off before we parachuted in… by the time I get a shot off with any accuracy I’m mincemeat!” Luckily for these two, the General was conveniently placed underneath the loud speaker. That was it the golden opportunity that Dmitri needed, he summoned within himself his telekinesis powers and within a matter of seconds had unbolted the loud speakers support bracket.
CRASH
The loud speaker had fallen atop of the Generals head knocking him unconscious to the floor in a satisfactory heap. The job was done; with nothing more to prevent extraction the two Satanists headed back outside and joined the others to await the Nagirag and a warm beverage to stave off any developing frostbite.
Dmitri lit the bright red flares he had stowed in his
breast pocket and without hesitation, the Nagirag dropped down to a climbable level opened its exit hatch and welcomed aboard its newest members. Marcello was waiting on everybody in the main lounge area, once assembled he had a new order to announce.
“Friends I would like to return to Kazakhstan and retrieve the payment I made to the previous owner of this airship. For are we not servants of the dark angel himself? I set a bad precedent by offering this man payment when I could have simply had him eliminated. This mistake I will never make again. The whole world will soon know the power of Lucifer! Are you with me on this followers of Beelzebub?” Marcello bellowed.
The entire gathering although at first slightly confused with Marcello’s decision, soon warmed to the idea of getting back a vast sum of money and all made the mutual agreement to fly back to Kazakhstan and to set an example of the Nagirag’s prior owner.
Now on the other end, the test subjects did not give a flying fuck as they were screwed regardless of the airships current position on the globe. Soon enough they would be subdued to unimaginable pain and suffering with the end result in an exploding head.
“Hoist off captain drop anchor and set the sails!” demanded Marcello
“Father that’s not quite accurate… you’re thinking of ships … aka of the sailing variety” Lodovico responded with a smirk he wanted to hide but could not disguise.
“Quite right captain… let’s be off then shall we all?” Marcello responded
And with that, it was up and away climbing altitude and setting the course back to Kazakhstan and to get a fully-fledged refund as it were.
50 Miles West Of Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, 1982
The travelling to this site had been rather unpleasant to say the least. For the vampires it was not a feat they wished to repeat any time soon. Stowing away aboard numerous freight trains had been a complete pain in the ass. The railroads of Eastern Europe had been as rickety as could be imagined. This has served up some particularly unpleasant sores on the bodies of the vampires. Of course thanks to their super human healing abilities the sores would disappear as quickly as they arrived. What would not vanish however was the increasing tetchiness amongst the group. Despite knowing they were on a mission prophesised by the Alset, and the lingering truth of the greater good, this was not enough to dispel infighting. The arguments did not escalate to physical altercations but morale between coven members was at an all-time low when they finally arrived at the airship site. Dretore had done his upmost to try and keep spirits high but even the most able of leaders can only do so much when stacked with impossible odds.