THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "So, Azul still has roughly four years before the Vrol get within range?" asked Michael, stunned that the hive was allowed to exist in the first place.

  "Yes, my son. That is true. And it could be avoided, if not for some particularly ruthless politicians who seek to amass short-term power over the survival of their own species."

  "You're talking about Len Johnson. He's an evil bastard, for sure. His son was a vampire, so it's pretty certain he is also, but inactive as he is on Azul?" said Bagatelle.

  "Yeah, that's right, G. No magic on Azul so no enhanced abilities," responded his younger sister.

  "Then, if Max is the one to lead the fight for his world, we must find him before any ill befalls his countenance," said Gabriel, who occasionally slipped into using archaic linguistic forms.

  Liliana had been completing her homework during Draagh's storytelling, and had tried desperately to not snicker when Krynos had again exaggerated the story of her mother's thrashing of Ryder Johnson. The girl knew better, as she saw it happen before her eyes. She was the one who tossed a metal gauntlet to Jennie, and then watched the woman create a puddle of liquid out of the vampire's skull, of course, after having violently torn out his entire cardio-pulmonary system.

  Looking up from her papers, she casually blurted out, "So Michael, are you ready to feed the sharks? They are hungry now, and I would so dislike it if another poor, unfortunate servant were to be snatched from the lowered drawbridge."

  Michael stood up, looked down at his granddaughter and said, "It would be my pleasure, Liliana. Shall we go?"

  The little girl stood up, curtseyed to everyone, thanked them for the meal and then turned and led the archangel out of the main dining hall so that they could perform one of her favorite duties.

  "She has yet to ask me to feed the sharks again," said Gabriel. "I do not believe I participated enough." He then sat at the table and nibbled on a piece of venison, maintaining a perplexed look on his face.

  Liliana led Michael out of the main gate, going over to a number of cages and lockers that held meats of varying types. As they walked along the pathway, Michael noticed that sharks were circling in the waters very near. It was obvious that they were trained to know when they would be fed, but he had no idea what kind of feeding was to take place on that day.

  "Michael, you are aware that vampires are very bad, am I not correct?"

  "Oh yes, my dear. They are quite nasty."

  "And that they are our mortal enemies, and the enemies of normals, yes?"

  "Ay, that much is true," responded the archangel, who started to get an unsettling feeling in his stomach.

  "Well, today is a special day for my pets, because they are allowed to participate in something that we lycans train for."

  "And just what would that be, young lady?"

  Before saying anything else, Liliana leaned down next to a cage and spoke softly to it, but to Michael's surprise he heard hissing and saw that the cage, which was covered with wooden panels, started to shake about. This shaking was followed by violent screams. Michael immediately knew what was going on, but all he could do was watch.

  "How many shall be on the recon team, once you have successfully located Max," asked Krynos, who was still insisting on accompanying them.

  "Well, my Lord, you of course, Jennie, Michael, Gabriel if he desires, Bagatelle and whomever else desire to go along."

  "I wish for Donus to assist us," exclaimed Krynos, looking at his master commander who was still seated at the table with the group.

  "That will be fine, my liege, but I must caution you - as we are still unaware of Max's location, it very well could be a world that is toxic, so I must insist on having the last word, agreed?" cautioned Draagh.

  All nodded in agreement. The ancient Primulus knew that the chances of Max having been stranded on a toxic world were zero, but he still needed to retain a modicum of control over the mission. Liliana was quietly insisting earlier that she also accompany them, but he was leaning towards denying her request. Jennie was indecisive, but was leaning towards bringing the girl with them, promising that she would protect her child in any case.

  "So, how do you think Michael will take Liliana's feeding today? It's live bait day, right?" asked Bagatelle, wearing a knowing smile.

  "Such a capable and brave young girl," said Krynos. "I believe that Michael will find her to be quite-"

  "Insanity! Do you know what that child just did? It's barbaric!" screamed Michael, interrupting Krynos, as he barged into the main dining hall, completely out of breath.

  "Hmm, let me guess. She opened a cage and let a vampire run along the track next to the moat until it was eaten by a shark?" Jennie asked rhetorically, while wearing a guilty grin.

  "Not only that, she timed it! Sharga! She timed the creature's demise, and then she marked down on a log which shark made the kill! What the hell are you teaching children around here?"

  "Well, it would have burnt to death in the sun anyway," remarked Donus in a droll fashion.

  "True, true, and it was weakened from lack of proper blood. We are not ones to extract the blood of normals in order to feed prisoners. She did it a favor, I must say," responded Bagatelle, in a completely calm manner, "allowing it to choose its own fate."

  "What is wrong with you people? Seriously!" the archangel cried out loudly. This caused the king to intervene on the little girl's behalf.

  "Michael, calm down and have a seat. There is much of which you are unaware. That creature, as you have described it, was part of a recon team that not only killed a number of normal children in a local village, but also temporarily evaded capture inside the castle walls and killed five of my servants, all done completely without remorse. It was Liliana who cornered off the three remaining soldiers, so as a reward she was allowed to offer them their freedom if they could outrun her sharks," Krynos plainly stated. "She seems to believe that they can be properly trained to patrol local rivers without eating innocent normals. If she could, I believe the child would magically create legs for them and go for walks throughout the forest; she is that enamored with the creatures. But then again, they really do adore her."

  Liliana walked into the main dining hall as casually as if she had just brushed her teeth (which she actually had just done), and gave her new grandfather a concerned look.

  "Michael, are you not the famous and brutal Mija-El that historical documents have shown to be not only a being of great compassion, but also a ruthless protector of mankind?"

  Shocked that the young girl would have ever learned such things, he nodded his head as she continued.

  "Well then, we have quite a mission to complete. My father is missing, and if you lack the cojones to watch my sharks feed on a putrid, nearly-dead vampire terrorist then I am not sure you are the right man for this job, once you have located my father, that is."

  The little girl stared Michael down with her arms folded, as she tapped her foot impatiently and waited for a response. Before Michael could say a word the entire room burst out in laughter, with Michael following, In fact, Michael was laughing so hard that he started to nearly cry, and it was at that moment that Draagh performed a most complex cantus, partially restoring his son's abilities. The spell was extremely difficult, and it hurt Michael a great deal as it was required to reorganize a good part of his extremely complex genetic structure, but the laughter acted as a buffer agent. Once Michael stopped writhing on the floor in agony, he looked up to see everyone around him. They all put hands on him and lifted him up to his chair.

  Looking over at a bowl and spoon, Michael lifted them with his mind and then gently set them back down.

  "It worked, Father. Thank you for not revealing the moment it would happen. It was, as you had earlier prognosticated, agonizingly painful."

  "Very well, my son. Tomorrow we begin."

  Chapter 17 - Healing

  Max had carb-loaded the previous evening, eating epic quantities of pasta (that he taught Jessica how to make) with a specia
l marinara sauce, while washing it all down with frosty, cold beers. Waking up, he jumped in the shower he had built (preferring quick showers over baths) and scrubbed down, using soap that Dons had procured on a recent trading run with Santa Monica. Max had accumulated hundreds of teeth simply by performing tasks and building things at the club, and although he made no plans to charge for the tracker extractions, he allowed the girls to require a signup fee, which they would all split. He planned on leaving soon, and for all he knew, Vrol teeth were common currency along the seaboard so he would need to have cash in hand during his journey.

  After getting dressed, he headed downstairs to find Jessica preparing breakfast in the kitchen. She had become quite the cook, with his tutelage of course, and was expertly crafting corned beef hash, potatoes, eggs and coffee. However, that morning Max got a major surprise when he saw who was assisting in the kitchen. Adam was actually washing the dishes - with his hands. Adam's wand was still non-functioning, but Max was going to address it, as well as the girls' bracelets at the same time.

  Before retiring the previous evening, Max had sat with Dons and extracted the clan leader's tracker. It was actually easier than he had believed it would be, and only took a moment to do, so he was certain he would be able to finish the locals within the day.

  Leaving the kitchen, he went out into the club area and sat with Dons, who already had two cups of strong coffee for the two of them. Dons was starting to treat Max more like a business partner than a clan guest, and Max didn't mind that at all.

  "Morning, Dons. No issues with the lack of tracker?"

  "Hey mate, none at all, and mornin' t'you too. In fact, I ran out of the club barrier and headed straight for some demons… erm, Vrol, and wasn't detected at all. Gotta say, what you did worked 100%!"

  "Well then, that's good," said Max, "and I'll fix the girls and Adam up after we eat. It's gonna be a busy day."

  Max had studied the trackers and found that, although they enabled Vrol to identify and locate humans out in the open, there were certain materials that blocked their signal, concrete being one, oddly enough. That was how Jessica was able to hang out well beyond the borders of the club barrier, and then ensconce herself in a drainage pipe to avoid detection whenever a Vrol closed in.

  Jessica walked out with two plates of breakfast, setting them down in front of Max and Dons, while wearing a huge smile on her face.

  "Here you go, boys. Adam and I already ate in the kitchen, so this is all for you." She sat there and waited for them to take a bite, just to make sure she hadn't over salted the hash.

  "Perfectly cooked, Jess," said Dons, as he dug in and practically inhaled his food. Right about the time he finished his plate Pandy came into the lounge, plopping down on the couch next to Dons, falling over with her head in his lap.

  "I'm so tired, aaaaarrrgh," she said.

  "Pandy, hun, get up. You gotta eat so Max can fix you up."

  "Yeah, and if I have time I'll amp up your bracelet today, so let's get things rolling."

  Jessica fell back onto the couch next to Pandy, groaning as she relaxed up against her best friend. She had prepared breakfast and started lunch, which was to be a guiso from Max's recipe, so her rest was well-deserved.

  But before she became too comfortable, Max moved over to her, and putting his hand on her left shoulder blade said, "Demoveoincantatio venator," causing Jessica to feel a slight tugging on her back, which was followed by a light popping sound. Then looking back at Max she saw a small, black, organic-looking pod-like device with wires coming out of it nestled in the palm of his hand.

  "Is that… it? That's what they use to find us?" she asked.

  "That's it. Not much too it. It's an organic radio frequency transmitter that creates an anti-rejection drug to keep it from being expelled by the host."

  "A drug what huh?" asked Pandy.

  "It's just nasty, so I am glad I got it out. Your turn, Pandy - turn around."

  The girl turned and exposed her left shoulder blade to Max, who then performed the same verbal cantus, followed by a silent healing spell, resulting in no scar.

  "Well people, I think we should get started. There is already a line forming outside," said Max.

  "Max, why dontcha treat each person behind a curtain for a bit of privacy, eh?" asked Dons.

  "Perfectly good rationale, Dons. I'll set up a screen. Girls, why don't you both go make sure that the queue is orderly while I make preparations?"

  "Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Adam, who had just exited the kitchen, totally surprising everyone with his subservient behavior.

  "Whoa! Where's Adam, and who took over his body?" Pandy sarcastically asked.

  "Give him a break, he knows we all need to work together now, ain't that right, Adam? You're a good guy now," said Dons.

  "Yeah, Adam's a good guy now. C'mere, bud. We need to get that tracker out of you."

  Pandy and Jessica jumped up and went for the door to check out the line size as Adam sat down next to Max, who then removed the human's tracker much as he did from Dons and the girls. Patting the fellow on the back he got up walked over to the door, looking outside to see a line going down the street and winding around the corner. Out front, but not in line were Lennie and his girl, Jelly. They were looking at the massive file of people, as they munched on what appeared to be bloody, uncooked rodents. Even though Max found it a bit disgusting, he called the couple of over without sticking his head out and causing a commotion.

  "Hey mate! Good mornin'! Ready for the big day? I know everyone else is," stated the kindly vampire.

  "Hey Lennie, Jelly. Yeah, I know I'll be totally wiped out after this crowd. Can you two help me with something inside?"

  "Sure Max, whatever you need."

  Lennie wasn't expecting anything and simply went inside to assist his friend. Upon entry, Max asked the vampire couple to help him set up some curtains on a framework he had created. After about 45 seconds of work it was done. He could have easily done it himself in a fraction of that time, but he wanted an excuse to get his friends in first and make it seem legit. Max then motioned for Jelly to sit down on a chair, which she did with a curious expression, not knowing what to expect.

  "You guys are my good friends, and I always take care of my friends first," said Max, as he gently pulled the tracker from Jelly's shoulder and then prompted Lennie to sit in her place. Once he was finished, he walked them both over to the bar and showed them what was in their bodies.

  "I'd like to hold onto these and analyze your blood, if you guys don't mind."

  "Sure, hun. Whatever you like. I'm just glad to get that thing outta my body, ya know what I mean?" said Jelly.

  "Well, we're gonna have a great show tonight, half-price drinks and all," Lennie added.

  Jessica and Pandy were very organized with the crowd, as their reputation preceded them. No one wanted to upset Dons' girls, except for Marko, who decided he was going to go and cut in the front of the line. The girls looked at each other and then back at the rude lycan.

  "Um, Marko, you do realize that other people were in line first and have been waiting all morning, right? And that Max is the one extracting the trackers, and that Max doesn't like you… at all?" asked Jessica.

  "I don't give a shit, bitch. He messed me up for no good reason. Total cheater, so he owes me," responded Marko.

  The girls again looked at each other, expressionless. Jessica stood up and walked into the club, going up to the bar, where Max was standing with Lennie and Jelly.

  "Heya, Max, umm… Marko jumped the line, called us bitches and said you owe him. What should we do?"

  "Max appeared pensive for a moment, but then got a wide grin and said," Send him in, Jess. I'll take care of him." Then, looking at Lennie and Jelly, said," Time to get to work, I guess."

  The girl looked a bit confused, but judged from Max's expression that he was up to something. Walking back outside, Jessica casually took her seat next to Pandy, looked up to Marko and said, "
Max will see you now. Please enter and go to your left."

  "Ha! Ya, see? Max knows who's in charge ‘round these parts."

  As Marko went inside, Pandy whispered to Jessica, "What the heck? Why did Max let him in?"

  "Sweetie, I trust Max, do you?"

  Pandy grinned and said, "Ooohhhhh, I see… okay."

  "So, asshole, you're gonna fix me up, right?"

  Max just looked at Marko and said, "Yeah, that's pretty much the idea. Sit down here and hold still."

  Marko sat down, feeling totally in charge and dominant. Max worked behind him, apparently moving some things around, when Marko heard him say, "Intexoincantatio venatores."

  "So, what's that shit mean, ya weasel?" asked Marko, obviously too stupid to realize that he was insulting a man who had nearly collapsed his lungs with one punch.

  "Oh, it's what I have to say in order to perform the surgery. Okay, you're all set, Marko. Enjoy your new freedom of mobility," Max said in a very cool and calm manner.

  "Ha! I'm done then! And I didn't even have to wait in line. That's how lycans do things, beotch!"

  Max watched as Marko left and another sat down and took his place, this person being a normal female named Rebecca, who had waited since 2 a.m. for her spot in line.

  "Good morning, kind sir. I would like to thank you for what you are doing, and…"