“Bring out the vamp!” Greaves slapped a giant gloved hand on the side of the truck parked beside him. “We gotta get a move on!”
The sound of multiple locks unlatching met Greaves’ words, the double doors swinging open. The vampire Desmond rested upright in the back of the truck, strapped to a handcart, his arms further secured by a straitjacket, a muzzle affixed to his face. Bandages adorned his forehead; the wounds inflicted upon him from the night before yet to heal completely. His face splotchy as before but no longer bruised and bloodied. He wore a black collar around his neck, this a spring-loaded guillotine-like device set to decapitate the vampire should he attempt escape.
A guard stood to either side of Desmond, each with a death grip on their weapon should the prisoner dare make a move.
“What are you waiting for?” Greaves shouted, gripping his weapon. “Unstrap him! He’s the only one who can go up to those guns without gettin’ tore’ up.”
The guards paused before hastily undoing Desmond’s straps, releasing him from the handcart.
“Take his mask off! I’ll need to talk to him.”
Obeying the order, one of the guards took his hands from his weapon, making to remove the vampire’s muzzle.
Desmond snarled at Greaves as the guard pulled off the mask, his eyes alive with a fiery hate.
“Shut it, bloodsucker!” Greaves roared, pulling a red-buttoned device from his pocket. It was the kill switch for Desmond’s collar. “You only speak when spoken to!”
The vampire’s eyes widened, his hateful angst turned to fear.
“The straight jacket will need to come off too,” Greaves instructed, both guards turning to look at him.
Though their helmet visors shielded their eyes, it was clear the guards thought he had lost his mind.
“What’s he gonna do?” Greaves waved the kill switch around in the air, giving Desmond a sinister grin as he did so.
Both of the guards stepped behind the vampire as they went to remove his jacket. They struggled with the unconventional garment for some time before finally freeing the prisoner from his bindings.
Desmond looked down over himself, grimacing in disdain, finding his sleek blue suit replaced by a baggy gray jumpsuit.
“I hope you don’t have a problem with your attire,” Greaves spoke with mock sincerity. “I’m sure it’s not as stylish as what you’re used to.”
Desmond glared at him.
“Remember our deal, scum!” Greaves snapped, jumping onto the back of the truck. He grabbed Desmond by the shirt and yanked him from the vehicle, sending him flying toward the ground, the vampire barely catching himself as he hit the gravel.
“You do what you’re told, and you get to live just that much longer!” Greaves dealt Desmond a brutal blow to the ribs with his boot, causing him to roll over on the ground.
Asher winced, sensing the hardiness of the blow even from where he sat.
Desmond groaned, holding his side.
Legion soldiers formed a line on either side of the truck, their weapons trained on the vampire.
“Hey, throw me his headset!” Greaves called to the guards, catching the requested device in his free hand. He shoved one side of the headset in his chest guard pockets beside the red-buttoned remote, making sure both hands were at the ready should the vampire try anything.
“Come on, get up and quit that sniffling.” Greaves walked back toward Desmond, leaning down to pull him up onto his feet by the back of his jumpsuit.
“I think you just broke a few of my ribs.” Desmond winced, bent over, still holding his side.
“What did I say about talkin’?” Greaves’ threatening tone softened somewhat. “I suppose I need to allow it when you have something to tell me. Better not lie to me, though!”
“Understood, sir.” Desmond slowly removed his hand from his ribs.
Greaves took the headset from his pocket and slipped it on over the vampire’s pointed ears. He took a step back behind Desmond, not wanting to touch him any longer than necessary.
“Get a move on, bloodsucker!” Greaves kicked Desmond toward the entrance to the tunnel, causing him to stumble. “Don’t you even think to try anything! You try escapin’, and I’ll have your head for a bowling ball! I got the kill switch right here!” He shook the device at the vampire.
“There is always the possibility that The Surgeon has changed the codes.” Desmond regained his footing, somehow still defiant despite the threats. “I haven’t been here in months.”
“That ain’t no concern ah’ mine, bloodsucker!” Greaves spat on the ground. “We’ll just send you back with one of our codebreakers. It’s just easier to throw you out here first.”
Desmond walked toward the tunnel entrance, his shadow diminishing in the headlights as he progressed some distance away. The turreted guns mounted above turned toward him before returning to their original position, recognizing him as a friendly.
The vampire disappeared beyond the beams of light, now deep within the dark tunnel.
“The vampire is en route to the first gate,” Greaves spoke over the common channel.
The six company force waited in anticipatory silence as the vampire typed in the security code. Greaves impatiently pawed the ground with a booted foot.
“Commander, they are approaching with the kresnik now,” said Griffin, his voice heard by all. “I have ordered the retrieval personnel to remain at the back of the convoy until you’re finished with the vampire.”
“Roger that,” said Greaves. “Better check on that vamp,” he grumbled, switching channels once again.
“Got that door open yet, bloodsucker?” Greaves asked, his tone racked with anxiety.
“Ah… I will never get tired of all the name-calling…” Desmond’s voice was barely audible.
“What was that?” asked Greaves.
“The door is opening now, sir,” Desmond spoke at a higher volume.
“Did you take care of the guns? Don’t do us any good to have the door unlocked if we’re just gonna to be mowed down.”
“I don’t know how to deactivate those, Commander.” Desmond failed to hide the hint of satisfaction in his voice.
“You best be figuring it out then!” the commander roared.
“My apologies, Commander.” Desmond was unfettered by Greaves’ shouting. “I was only in charge of a slaughter plant. This technology is far above my pay grade.”
“Uh! Dang it, come back out for the codebreaker.” Greaves planted an open palm on his forehead. “Come out with your hands above your head! I don’t want no funny stuff!”
“Wouldn’t even think of it, sir. You threatened to beat, blow, and slice my head off plenty of times already.”
“Haha. Dang, smart-aleck vamp. Get back over here before I have you blasted to smithereens! They’ll be pickin’ up pieces of you for months.”
“He’ll be needing a codebreaker!” Greaves faced the line of personnel.
A nearby soldier answered his request almost immediately, passing him the strange, tablet-shaped device. Its blue screen glowed through the darkness.
The soldiers waited as Desmond emerged from the tunnel. The vampire stepped back into the line of headlight beams with his hands raised high. He stopped several yards away from the commander, unsure what to do next.
“Get over here so he can hand it off to you.” Greaves’ voice was flat with impatience. “I can’t chance any of my people gettin’ close to those guns.”
Desmond responded and walked toward the soldier with the codebreaker, reaching out to take the device. He walked back toward the tunnel, his pace slackened by the weight of the burden he now carried.
“What are you draggin’ your feet for?” asked Greaves, seeing the vampire’s intent. “I’ve never seen a vampire move that slow. You can’t be that out of shape. Pick up the pace before I really lose my patience!”
Desmond straightened up and walked at a slightly faster pace, though he still saw no reason to move too quickly. His fut
ure with the Legion would be quite dim even if the commander allowed him to live.
“That’s better,” said Greaves, satisfied.
Desmond re-entered the tunnel, disappearing back into darkness.
Greaves continued to monitor the vampire’s progress. The commander spared the rest of the Legion from having to hear their squabbling, preferring to keep his helmet tuned only to the vampire’s headset until the task was complete.
“Uh,” Asher moaned, more than tired of the wait. “Are we sure it’s a good idea to use a vampire for this? I know they put a guillotine collar around his neck, but he could still be leading us along.”
“Have you not seen the guns, Blackthorn?” asked Ito. “He’s the only one who can go in and deactivate them. It’s much better to deal with him than risk our personnel. Besides, I’ve never known a vampire who would choose to protect his comrades over saving himself.”
“Going by this particular vamp’s behavior, I assume he would always take the selfish route,” said Milo. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t suddenly experience an overwhelming surge of loyalty.”
“Yeah, let’s.” Asher watched Greaves through the window.
The commander kept a tense hand on both his shotgun and the kill switch in his pocket.
“The third door is opening now, Commander,” Desmond spoke into his headset. “It’s the last one, I swear.”
“What about the lights?” asked Greaves. “I don’t want to send our personnel in blind.”
“Commander, there are lights, but I’m not sure if I can turn them on.”
“Do you know what kind of light switch it is?”
“It’s just turned on with a key,” said Desmond, expecting Greaves to shout at him.
“That’s good,” said Greaves. “The codebreaker is a multi-function tool, and you should be able to use it to turn them on. Just put the gripper up to the lock like yuh did with the keypads.”
“Very well,” said Desmond. ”Give me a moment, Commander. The stress of the situation was creeping up on the vampire.
The tunnel lights flashed on nearly a minute later, filling the total darkness with a deep red glow.
“Congratulations, bloodsucker, you get to live to suck another day, or… night. Stay where you are, and we’ll pick you up. No reason to take all six companies down that way without knowin’ if it’s safe.”
“I believe I have opened and turned off everything,” Desmond assured him.
“That’s what you say. Put those dirty claws up where we can see ‘em. Anything, and I mean anything, happens, and there goes your head.”
“Understood, sir.” It was difficult to tell if the vampire’s defeated tone was genuine or fake.
“I take the red lights to mean that we are now ready to proceed to the second briefing with the high commander,” said Commander Griffin over the shared channel.
“That we are,” said Greaves. He climbed up into the back of the armored truck, its double doors hanging open.
Asher shifted around in his seat, nervous with anticipation.
“We are ready to proceed to the second briefing, High Commander,” said Griffin.
“And only a mere two hours behind schedule,” said Witchburn, her voice materializing through a static-filled haze.
“I thought you were informed about our little mishap on the way up here, ma’am,” said Greaves as the doors of the truck closed behind him.
Asher watched the dark green truck lurch backward, turning around and rolling toward the tunnel entrance. Red light reflected off its metallic hide.
“Oh, yes, Griffin informed me directly,” said Witchburn, the static now gone.
Asher thought he heard a sharp thumping sound carried over the speaker, suggesting High Commander Witchburn had kicked something.
“It’s something that could not be helped, though it does make this operation all the more difficult. We’re late, and you will not have the light outside to fall back on, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“It does put us at a disadvantage, High Commander,” said Griffin.
“You should all know your assignments, but I will go over them once more to minimize any confusion,” said Witchburn. “First, Commander Greaves and his new vampire sidekick will exit the tunnel, careful to keep him away from the kresnik. I think we can still press our vampire for additional information, so I would like to keep him alive. Greaves, you still have my permission to execute him if it even looks like he has betrayed us.”
“Whatever you say, High Commander Witchburn.” Greaves sounded inappropriately gleeful. His headset picked up the sound of the truck’s revving engine as it sped toward the vampire at the end of the tunnel.
“OK,” Witchburn continued. “Once the tunnel is clear, 1st Company from District X will enter. They will be followed by the truck carrying the kresnik, which will then be followed by our single company from District V. The 2nd Company from District X will be behind that, guarding their six. The last three District X companies and our hellhounds will remain outside, retaining our current perimeter. The District X company inside will fan out as best they can, and then the kresnik will be released at the end of the tunnel. After that, we just play it by ear until we have searched and cleared the whole area. I hope you’re ready. This could be a long operation, and the casualties will likely be high.”
“Understood, ma’am,” said Commander Griffin.
“Stop squirmin’ so we can get ‘ur jacket back on!” Greaves shouted, the sound of multiple feet striking the truck floor audible through his helmet. “You’re job’s over bloodsucker. Don’t make me mess up and hit the switch now!”
“Commander?” asked Witchburn, sensing possible trouble.
“Sorry, ma’am,” said Greaves. “Everything is still fine at this end. I was just havin’ a little trouble puttin’ the vamp’s straitjacket back on. We’ll have him loaded back up here in a moment, no problem. I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but it looks like the guns are disabled.”
“Have you heard anything I’ve said?” asked Witchburn, ignoring the heavy sarcasm in Greave’s last statement.
“Every word.”
“Wouldn’t it be best to pull the kresnik through first?” Griffin interrupted their exchange. “He could deal with the vamps before we enter. Keep our losses to a minimum.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s the most rational way to do it, but that’s not how I would like it done. Let’s not forget who’s operation this is.” Witchburn sounded testy. “Surely you can appreciate the hazards involved. We simply do not have enough information to verify what is contained in this laboratory. We don’t want to subject one of our newest weapons to an enemy onslaught at initial contact. High casualties are to be expected, and we can’t afford to lose the kresnik.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Griffin didn’t argue the point further.
“We have the bloodsucker secured,” Greaves informed them. “Proceeding toward the entrance now.”
“Outstanding, Commander,” said Witchburn. “We will keep the lines of communication open from now until the operation is complete.” She switched between channels, no longer needing to speak to all of them at once.
Asher jumped in his seat as his assault group’s SUV roared back to life. Greaves’ truck became visible within the tunnel, rapidly speeding toward them as it exited, turning off the gravel road to jet down the side of the ridge.
“District X, 1st Company, proceed,” said Commander Griffin, seeing Greaves exit.
Asher watched as the vehicles nearest the entrance rolled forward. A line of red taillights glowed brightly against the tunnel’s red backdrop. His muscles tensed as his anticipation at entering the foreboding tunnel renewed.
“You ready to do this?” Aaron slapped Asher on the shoulder and shook him. “Better get psyched.”
“About as ready as I'll ever be.” Asher gripped his weapon.
“I know I’m ready,” said Milo sarcastically. “Gonna go down a creepy tunnel with who knows how many v
ampires at the end, and in the middle of the night, too.”
“I hear that,” said Asher in agreement. “So long as we can get in and out without getting too messed up, that’s good enough for me.
“We should be in the safest place within the procession, right with the kresnik,” Ito assured them. “Probably not as safe as remaining out here, but it is what it is.”
Their SUV crept forward behind the rest as the last vehicle of District X’s 1st Company made its way into the tunnel.
“Proceed forward with the kresnik,” Commander Griffin’s voice resonated within their helmets.
A black armored truck with a green cardiac line down either side appeared from out of the trees, coming from the opposite direction Greaves had gone. It sped down the ridge, bounding over the rocky, uneven terrain, sending gravel flying as it turned down the dirt road and continued into the tunnel.
“District V, proceed,” said Captain Kilgore just as the CyberGen truck crossed the threshold.
The four in the SUV waited as the other vehicles lurched forward and entered the tunnel. The heavy guns hung above them, the motionless death machines rendered powerless, seemingly enraged by their deactivation.
“Whoa, the anticipation is killing me!” proclaimed Milo.
Asher glanced toward the backseat to see the medic sitting with his weapon at the ready, a smile across his face. He had changed his tune, the soldier now strangely content during what would likely be one of the Legion’s more dangerous operations.
Their vehicle slowly accelerated as they left the open air on the mountain ridge for the red-lit, claustrophobic entry tunnel.
Asher gazed up at the tunnel ceiling through his window, seeing the turreted guns hanging above them. They were the same size as those out front, placed ten feet apart, their barrels pointed straight down at them. The Legion’s vampire informant had come through for them, thus far keeping them from unnecessary exposure to gunfire.
“District X, 2nd Company, proceed,” said Commander Griffin, sending the last group of vehicles in after them.
The line of vehicles approached the end of the tunnel now, several of them already stopped, parking off to either side to allow passage for the CyberGen truck.
Fall Prey: The Hunt Page 42