Visceral

by Adam Thielen

  “No shit,” Frank uttered.

  Barry guided him out the door and beckoned Frank and the two guards to follow him down the hall.

  “Where’s Pete?” Frank asked.

  “Pete? Oh, Mr. Guero isn’t coming on this trip. He has some business up here. Besides that, Matthias doesn’t need to know about his involvement in this, only that you approve.”

  “I don’t even know what I’m approving!” Frank said as they stepped into the elevator.

  * * *

  Back in the chopper, Frank sat silently pondering what he had witnessed. He had always been kept on the outside, and now someone wanted to bring him in. Or perhaps simply use him. Somehow his mind kept turning to Scarlett’s skirt. He was jarred out of his thoughts as the helicopter roared. The machine’s jets were firing as the rotors stopped and formed a small set of lift wings. They would soon be traveling at supersonic speed.

  “Listen, Frank,” spoke Barry. “I’m not just part of Haven, I’m the chairman of the board with Grapeseed Inc.”

  Frank realized he knew the man’s full name now. “Thompson,” he said.

  “That’s right,” Barry affirmed.

  “A little east of your jurisdiction, aren’t you?”

  “Grapeseed doesn’t care about borders, we— they have the resources to manipulate most of the Americas. It was my role to convince them to take an interest in the mythical fiend,” Barry explained.

  “Nothing mythical about it,” Frank said.

  “I know that. Well, I know now at any rate. Haven has an interest in the mage, or whatever remains of it,” explained Barry.

  “What for?”

  “I would like to tell you that, but I can’t,” he replied. “To be honest, I don’t actually know. Guero has been facilitating an arrangement of mutual interest between interested parties.”

  “Well that’s fucking vague,” noted Frank.

  “I’m sure they have their reasons, and I’m not sure I want to know them,” Barry admitted. “In any event. Grapeseed will move in when there is an opportunity to secure the fiend, but we could use your help.”

  “What?!” Frank exclaimed. “Why not just have Haven take the goddamn thing?”

  Thompson laughed. “Haven doesn’t exist, and it needs to stay that way. Grapeseed’s involvement gives us a nice layer of smoke to hide in,” he said, looking at his watch.

  Frank rubbed his forehead in frustration. “What does Grapeseed get out of this?”

  “Well we have a lot of R and D projects going on, but I can’t say more.”

  “And what do you get out of this alliance?”

  “Ah right,” Barry smiled. “This is more about me than the corp. Haven is an exclusive vampire club and they invited me in, but only because I offered to bring Grapeseed’s resources with me. Just convince Matthias to cooperate as part of an agreement between Noxcorp and Grapeseed.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  Thompson crossed his arms. “I am not going to answer that, but I’m sure you can figure it out. This is your only invitation to join. I’ll leave it at that.”

  * * *

  The sun rested on the horizon. Matthias couldn’t see it, but he could see the shadows it cast in front of him as he waited just inside the entrance to the safehouse. He needed to get to the rendezvous point, but exposure would hurt him significantly. It wasn’t the ultraviolet light that hurt his kind. In fact, no one knew for sure what it was. But it pierced through solid surfaces. The thicker the wall, the more of it was blocked, but even inside the garage Matthias could feel a mild discomfort.

  The ghouls in the lobby had given him little trouble. With his strength came a confidence in his movement, and the vampire was easily able to block blunt attacks and dodge attempts to claw him. The blade he claimed from the armory easily removed limbs and heads with Matthias’s newfound strength behind each swing. He had even cleaved one in half at the torso.

  “How the hell did those things get here during the day?” Matthias asked with no one around to answer. He pulled up more vampire research documents with his com. Reading, actual deciphering of letters in sequence, was a horse that would not die, no matter how much technology beat on it. Matthias pretended to enjoy it, but in truth it was a last resort.

  It turns out there was much Matthias didn’t know about being a vampire. There was no vampire school. In fact, all that vampires are told is that there are rules and that if they break them, they will be punished. Matthias had never cared about what it really meant to be a vampire. It was merely a condition he had to deal with. His sudden vulnerability had forced Matthias to open his eyes. For the first time, he felt that he had risen above the base existence that had defined his second life.

  Of the more interesting facets of vampirism, Matthias discovered, was the potential to control bodily functions that are normally involuntary. Heart rate, adrenaline, and even immune system responses could be altered with enough practice. Articles described the mental exercises involved in manipulating these functions, and Matthias immediately picked up how to change his heart rate. He tagged the other exercises for later reading.

  His com beeped, asking if he would like to view a new message from Kate. It was a plain text message. “Yes,” Matthias answered. A small box appeared mid-air in front of him with the words “Multiple fiends at rendezvous. Need help.” Matthias hopped into the van. He sent a reply: “Call me. Transmit retinal stream. Use what I gave you. Be there soon.”

  * * *

  “Who are they?” asked Tamra.

  Kate drew the pistol Matthias gave her. “More of those fiends.”

  “I don’t think they are fiends,” said Taq. “They seem to be thralls, somehow enslaved to Winter.”

  “How many?” Tamra asked.

  “At least three, one of which is high in the building south of us,” Taq replied. “What are we going to do?”

  “Kate, let’s get clear of them. If they follow we can lead them toward Matthias and regroup,” strategized Tamra.

  Kate put the car into reverse and the cart began to roll backward.

  BANG!

  A hole ruptured from the top of the hood, spurting yellow fluid into the air. The axle motors lost power first, and the car wound to a stop. Then the dash interface dimmed with a blinking battery symbol in the corner of the screen.

  “I think they killed the battery. It won’t move!” Kate wailed.

  “We’re sitting ducks,” said Tamra. “We have to find cover or make a run for it.”

  “We’ll be out in the open,” said Taq.

  BANG!

  The windshield caved inward toward Kate’s face. It had stretched as the bullet struck, forming a slanted cone where it impacted. The rest of the windshield had turned into a spider web, and much of its border was now detached from the car frame. Kate let out a short scream.

  “Who sold these things guns?” yelled Taq.

  “We can’t stay here!” Tamra stressed.

  “Can’t you use some sort of magic and get us out of here?” Kate pled to Taq.

  Taq’s eyes lowered. Tamra replied, “No, mages who try that sort of thing are found dead if they are ever found.” The three looked back and forth at each other for a moment. Eventually both Taq and Kate rested their gaze on Tamra.

  “It’s fight or flight,” she said. “We have to commit to one or the other. Are you ready to fight?” She looked at Taq, who nodded, and then at Kate.

  “Y-yes,” she stuttered.

  Tamra knew she was not. “Stay here, stay low Kate. Take a shot if you can. You’ve got assist on that thing right?” Kate nodded.

  “Let’s go, Taq,” Tamra and Taq exited the car, ducking behind the side opposite the thrall-sniper.

  Tamra scanned the six story building to the south, unable to see anything. “Can you do anything to protect us?”

  “Your polonium, it’s going to be a problem,” he explained. “I can put up a barrier far enough away to protect us until they get close.”

&
nbsp; Tamra nodded.

  Taq’s imagination took the form of a wall as he concentrated on drawing ethereal energy into the world. He constructed an invisible globe around them that would slow any object passing through it to a flat rate of about one meter per second, rendering bullets harmless.

  “Wait till they get close… You will see when they pass through.” It was hard for Taq to think clearly while keeping the barrier up.

  “Got it,” Tamra nodded. “Now we wait. What directions will they come from?”

  “Two on this side,” he replied. “One more… other side.”

  “Kate, watch our flank!” Tamra yelled. Kate complied, moving to the passenger seat and watching that direction.

  For a moment there was an eerie silence. The sun was setting and the sky shone orange. Taq, Kate, and Tamra stood vigilant: Their car parked on a decayed road between decrepit houses with boards over the windows. Sheets of dust blew over the road and under the vehicle.

  The silence was broken by Tamra, who clutched at her chest, groaning. A blue glow was once again visible underneath her button-up uniform. One of the thralls had tried assaulting them with a spell. Taq looked around for its effects, but saw nothing.

  “I think it must have been cast directly at me,” Tamra said, breathing heavily.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yes,” she said in a strained voice. “It just burns a little.” But it was clear to Taq it was more than a little. Heat seemed to be a common side-effect of magic use, and these monsters were brutish with it. Beads of sweat dripped down Taq’s own brow.

  He scanned the buildings in front of him, but saw no one. It would be easy to hide behind a house or even inside of one.

  Kate yelled, “There!” She spotted the magic wielding thrall as it crawled out of the window of an abandoned house. It howled and started running toward Kate’s side of the car.

  Before Taq could turn around to look, another thrall leapt out from behind a building and started charging at him.

  BANG! A shot rang out, and ripples appeared on the barrier where it landed. The strain on the barrier transferred directly to Taq. The spell required constant maintenance, and as it absorbed the kinetic energy, it weakened requiring additional ethereal reinforcement.

  Tamra pointed at the second monster and said, “Hold it off, I’ll get the other one.” She looked in the car window to tell Kate to fire, but she was gone. Tamra ran around the car to meet the thrall. It had extended its fingernails into claws several inches long.

  It stopped halfway through its journey to the car and closed its eyes. Reflexively, Tamra fired off two shots from her assault rifle, but both were stopped by Taq’s barrier. He winced in pain. “Sorry!” she called out.

  The thrall on the driver's side ran through the barrier and at Taq, who had pulled out a pistol. He fired three shots, all narrowly missing. He was too tired to aim precisely while maintaining the barrier, and there was still a sniper targeting them. He dropped to the ground and rolled underneath the vehicle.

  The fiend on the passenger side had opened its eyes. Tamra didn’t know what it had cast, but she felt her metal increase its charge. The monster resumed its earlier charge. Tamra waited until she saw it start to pass through the barrier and took a shot.

  CLICK. The gun didn’t fire. Some enchantment was disabling Tamra’s weapon. She switched from powder to the pressure cartridge. She took aim a second time as the thrall was upon her and squeezed the trigger. Almost silently the gun fired a bullet into the thrall’s chest. A red mist shot out of its back. Its velocity unabated, the thrall landed on its back near Tamra. She hurriedly took two more shots, piercing the fiend’s skull with both.

  BANG! Another bullet bounced off of Taq’s protective barrier. Even under the car, he could not escape the thrall who had come for him. It reached underneath and grabbed handfuls of his clothing and yanked Taq out of his shelter. The fiend grabbed him around the neck with both hands.

  Another shot rang out as blood exploded from the fiend’s right temple. It let go of Taq and stumbled to a knee. BANG! Blood along with pieces of brain and skull flew out from a second shot. The fiend dropped to its side, dead.

  Kate materialized in front of Taq, the smoking barrel of her gun still pointed at the fiend. She looked at Taq and exhaled.

  “Get to the North side of the car for cover!” he yelled as he felt the world start to spin.

  Tamra ran to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She dragged him around the car and sat him behind one of the tires before taking cover herself. Taq’s barrier visibly collapsed. Tamra pulled out what looked like a small cloth. She unfolded it and pressed a small button on one corner. She placed it on Taq’s head. He winced at the sudden chill.

  “I really need some of these gadgets,” he breathed.

  “If we get out of here, you can have it,” Tamra replied. “Are you guys always caught unprepared for this thing?”

  “Yes.” Taq mumbled. His eyes drooped low. His eyelids fluttered for a moment before shutting entirely. His body slumped against the wheel of the car.

  “Taq!” Kate cried.

  Tamra grabbed his shoulders and shook him. She placed her fingers on his neck. “There’s a pulse. I think he’s still breathing. Where is Matthias?”

  Kate calmed herself and turned on a voice link to Matthias.

  * * *

  As the last sliver of the sun dipped below the horizon, Matthias felt a shift that told him it was safe. He floored the gas in the van, squealing the tires and speeding out of the garage. He couldn’t remember a time that he had felt so focused on one singular task. The road traversing the industrial wasteland was clear. Matthias kept the pedal pinned to the floor, but the van seemed unable to push past ninety miles per hour. As he entered Blue Hills, scattered buildings whizzed by the vehicle.

  “Taq is hurt, Matt,” said Kate, her voice cracking. “There’s some sniper shooting at us from a nearby building, and the sun is gone.”

  “I’m almost there. Do something about the sniper,” Matthias replied.

  “How?”

  “There’s an airfield not too far—”

  Before he could finish; “You’re right. Turning off coms.”

  Kate looked at Taq. “Hold on.”

  A thunderous boom filled their ears as the passenger side window exploded. Glass sprinkled the ground.

  “I need time, Tamra,” Kate said as she closed her eyes.

  Kate’s thoughts became digital sequences. She connected with a remote supercomputer that acted as a gatekeeper for the private network. It wanted a password that could not be given, but only taken from the connecting host. Kate created a virtual machine, then granted the supercomputer access. As it probed a sandboxed section of her implants, she swapped patterns in and out and spoofed hardware identifiers. Her own software recognized when the supercomputer accepted the patterns, locking them in place until the gatekeeper replied with “Verification complete”. It then awaited her next command. “Security clearance,” she issued.

  Tamra watched Kate’s eyes as they moved beneath her eyelids. She felt alone. Instinctively she turned her gaze toward a building facing her side of the vehicle. That’s when she saw Paul Winter. He stood motionless for a moment. The fiend gazed up to the building where his sniper thrall was positioned. He seemed to be looking for something, or someone.

  Tamra checked her rifle’s clip, snapped it back in place, and took aim at Winter. She started firing off rounds, each missing him by inches. Tamra expected him to run at her, but he stood there for a moment before dashing behind a nearby building. With Taq and Kate incapacitated, she had to somehow hold him off.

  Tamra grabbed Kate’s optical deflector off her hip. The power indicator was red. She braced her foot against the car and activated it, turning invisible. It beeped a low power warning as she pushed off the car and ran toward the house across the street. It powered down ten meters from the building. Tamra sprinted to the nearest unboarded window and dove
through. She heard the gunshot of the sniper as she landed on a rotted out wood floor. It missed.

  Tamra crawled along the floor through a hole in the wall, into what was once a kitchen. She carefully peered out of a small window. Her polonium glowed brighter as she caught sight of the real fiend, Winter. He stood between the car and Tamra. His arms were outstretched toward the house as he started a spell.

  Several of Tamra’s bullets whizzed past the fiend, but he remained focused on his casting. Tamra removed and empty clip from her rifle and pressed a small button on the outside. It made a short chirp and a small light flashed red. She threw it out the window at Winter’s feet. He looked down at the clip and his hands relaxed as he finally abandoned the spell. The fiend flung himself to the ground as the clip exploded. Its shrapnel tore through the walls of the house and lacerated his arm and a leg. Wood and masonry crashed into Tamra’s body, the concussion sending her flying across the interior.

  Winter rolled onto his back. In the sky he saw what looked like a small plane or glider. He looked at his wounds; they had already begun to heal. The fiend rolled over onto his hands and knees. He turned to look at Taq and Kate, both appeared unconscious.

  Kate felt like a bird as she looked down at the scene below her. Giddy from the height, she panned her view around and zoomed up on the windows of a tall building. Next to it was a car with a blown out window and a house with smoke billowing out of one side. As she scanned from window to window, she finally saw what she was looking for. Movement. Zooming in closer, it was obviously the barrel of a gun. Then her view changed just slightly as she dove toward the window. Slow at first, then faster and faster. Goodbye, you piece of shit, she thought.

  Winter watched as a small missile flew into his last thrall, obliterating its body and a portion of the building with it. Fire poured out of the hole followed by thick black smoke. The fiend looked at Kate as her eyes opened and shrieked. He charged at her, readying his claws. Kate blinked her vision into focus and let out a short whimper at the sight of him. She grabbed at the door handle behind her head, using it to turn around. Though she yanked on it fiercely, the door would not budge. She jumped through the window the sniper had shattered and pulled herself inside the car and onto the driver’s side seat.