THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "Okay, enough of that," said Max. "Let's finish eating and get on with the day."

  Chapter 34 - The Plan

  Draagh sat at the expansive mahogany desk in his study in the castle, tinkering with an object that looked like a typical comm device, but had a slight orange glow. As he moved his hands around, the small device remained suspended in the air, spinning in conjunction with his movements. He appeared to finish his work when he pulled his hands away and the small badge dropped to his desk with a light tapping sound.

  "Grandfather, is there anything I can do to help today?" asked Liliana as she burst into the old mages office.

  "Hello Liliana, my dear. No, I believe I have everything under control. Yes, quite under control. Do you not have classes today?" he asked, raising a single eyebrow.

  "Oh no, Grandfather. Today is Saturday. We do not have classes on the weekend. Anyway, I would like to speak with you regarding something quite important."

  "And what would that be, little one?"

  "I do note trust Gadreel. He smells wrong."

  Draagh nodded his head and gave the young girl a soft smile. "Neither do I, my dear. But we must use his presence to our advantage, so please do not interfere in our activities."

  "I understand, Grandfather."

  "Now, that you are here and you have no classes, why do we not delve more deeply into your lessons. I would like to teach you an immobilization cantus."

  "Ooo, so I could make an enemy freeze in place? That would be quite helpful during a battle," she responded in glee.

  "Yes, but it taxes you severely and is only to be used in the gravest of circumstances. I believe we shall have need for one of the castle's feral cats."

  Draagh had barely finished his sentence when he saw Liliana holding a brown cat in her arms.

  "My, that was quick."

  "Tío Gabriel taught me to retrieve cats if I knew their location. I named this one Caca, and he always stays in the same place in the air ducts."

  "You named this creature Caca? As in excrement?"

  "Yes! Like shit, Grandfather," she said, while growing a huge smile. Liliana knew she could get away with some profanity around Draagh, as he really didn't care for plain words - intentions concerned him more.

  "I believe it best you not reveal the name of this small creature to your mother."

  "I agree!"

  "Very well, please set the cat down and when it moves recite this cantus - retardoincantatio murelegus."

  Liliana grew a wicked grin and threw the creature into the air.

  ###

  "Now please detail to us everything you and your brother have recently done," demanded Gabriel, his face practically shoved into Gadreel's. The turncoat wasn't nearly Gabriel's size, but more of something in-between the battle-ready archangel and Max.

  "Gabriel, I am here to help, but I cannot, in good faith, start to recite all of our crimes if you are constantly attempting to physically intimidate me. May I get a bit of personal space, please?"

  "Gabe, back down on him. Let him speak," said Max.

  The larger of the two grunted and took a step back, crossed his arms and gave Gadreel an expectant look.

  "We created the Vrol," said Gadreel, maintaining a bit of remorse in his voice.

  "Tell us something we don't know," said Michael.

  "Such as?"

  "Why you created those vile insects. They have done nothing but damage throughout the Milky Way, and have disrupted the balance of life in the universe," Gabriel responded with an unhappy tone.

  "Dude, seriously? You created the bugs that nearly destroyed my species, and are now on their way here to do the same?"

  "Max, I must apologize. I did not personally create them - it was more of a group project, led by Samyaza. Part of my shame is that I became little more than a follower."

  "Fine, loser. Then tell us the best way to fight them," Max said as a follow-up demand.

  "You have already discovered the most effective ways - decapitation, and the use of a particular radio frequency to annoy them."

  "We need their main ship - we need to destroy it," said Michael.

  "It is in the Void, that much I know."

  "Void? What's the Void?" asked Max.

  "You call it Side Space, my son," said Michael.

  "Fine, you call it the Void, but we need to find the ship. It pops in and out and we can never get a bead on it. Once we get it we win the war."

  "No, Max. Once you kill my brother you shall win the war. You may defeat the Vrol now, but if Samyaza runs free he will simply create another perversion and set it upon your worlds."

  "He is correct, Max," said Gabriel. "We must kill all of those allied with Samyaza in order to truly safeguard Azul and her moons."

  "Okay, well, I have a plan," said Max.

  ###

  "Chief Williams, we eradicated another vampire nest," reported Officer Nano Sanchez, who just happened to be covered in a light, green gelatinous liquid.

  "Hmm, very well, Nano. Did you follow protocol and destroy it?"

  "Yes, sir. But it exploded this time."

  "That sounds new. Would that explain the green guck all over your uniform?"

  "Correct, sir. Anyway, I believe we should avoid using fire from now on."

  "Consider it so ordered. Shoot them all in the head, Nano."

  "Very well, sir … and sir?"

  "Yes?"

  "I believe I speak for everyone here - thanks for taking over as chief. Something was kinda off with Chief Robinson."

  "Kinda… off? What do you mean, son?"

  "Well, we think he was one of these vampires."

  "Perhaps he was, Nano. But we need to maintain order and keep busy hunting down those who escaped the prison facility. The longer they're out there, the more normals they can infect."

  ###

  "Grandfather, the cat is frozen in place! I am so happy! Thank you!"

  "You are welcome, child, but please try to levitate the creature."

  Liliana concentrated her cantus, levoincantatio murelegus, but noticed that nothing happened. She tried it again and returned a confused glare at Draagh.

  "Grandfather, why can I not lift the kitty?"

  "My child, your father can monitor his magical levels via an invisible meter visible only to him. I fully expect you shall one day also, but until then you must manage your skills carefully. Imagine if you were up against a mortal enemy, and you needed a simple levitation cantus to win your battle. However, you had just used a freeze cantus and all of your abilities were temporarily inaccessible. This is what you see now, my dear."

  "My… levels?"

  "Liliana, there is a limit to the amount of magic someone can perform at any single time. You have just discovered one of your limitations."

  "Have I lost my magic? Am I to be a normal lycan now?"

  "No, no no, my dear," Draagh returned, laughing, "your skills shall return shortly, but for the time being your are magic deficient."

  Draagh was actually relieved due to the fact that Liliana had no ability to gauge her skills timeout through a meter in her peripheral vision, as it would not be visible to her until she had gone through puberty - something he didn't wish to appear anytime soon. Even though it would assist her greatly, he didn't feel she was ready to have her full compliment of lycan/mange skills, which would include turning on the full moon.

  Chapter 35 - Tag, You're It!

  "This device will allow us to track Gadreel's exact point in space/time, so if he goes back to the Grigori we shall be able to take action immediately," Draagh informed Max, Jennie, Michael and Gabriel, as they all sat in the main dining hall, snacking on dried meats.

  "It is a more robust version of the trackers we all wear," added Gabriel, having been the one who initially developed a tracker to put on his brother, Michael.

  "If not for your tracker, Gabriel, I would have been lost in the same alternate, fractured timeline as Max. It was truly an ingenious effort."

&
nbsp; "Well, I for one, appreciate it," said Max, as Jennie nodded her head in agreement.

  "So I guess the question now will be how to get Gadreel to wear this thing and go back to his brother," Jennie added.

  "He wears the collar, my dear. His will is subject to my own, for the most part," said Draagh.

  "And just where is he right now?" Jennie inquired.

  "We're letting him rest. He kinda got the snot kicked out of him when he came here," said Max.

  "I just hope he isn’t up to anything bad," said the lovely lycan female.

  ###

  "Hello, brother. Are we being spied upon?"

  "Gadreel. It is good to hear you. No, we are quite safe. Did you make contact?"

  "Not only contact, Brother. I am in their midst."

  "Excellent."

  ###

  "Abuelita, I have a new magical skill, but I must only use it in an emergency," Liliana said to her grandmother, Clarisa Gunnarsson, who was knitting a small blanket with the help of her best friend Janice Wong.

  "Ooo, that sounds divine, my love. What kind of skill is it?"

  "I am now able to freeze my enemy in place."

  "Liliana, can you freeze some ice for my tea? I'm afraid it's gone warm," mused Janice.

  "No, Tía Janice. It is not a temperature cantus. It merely immobilizes the subject."

  Clarisa looked upon Liliana with pride. She had been working with the girl since they first met, in an attempt to imbue more civil qualities into the child - a former orphan who grew up scrounging for scraps in castle hallways.

  "And when did you learn this skill, sweetie?" asked Clarisa.

  "This morning. Grandfather Draagh taught me in a matter of moments."

  "Is it a difficult skill?"

  "Not at all! It is just that it is quite taxing on my magical skills, and it takes a while before I am able to perform a different cantus. In fact, I believe it was nearly four minutes before I could levitate Caca."

  Janice snorted lukewarm tea out of her nose.

  "Caca? You are not playing with poop again, are you dear?" asked Clarisa, recalling when Liliana had used a levitation cantus to fling horse manure into Kyle Reynolds' face.

  "Oh no, Abuelita. Caca is a cat that lives in the castle. His fur is of a rich, brown color, so I believe I named him appropriately."

  Clarisa and Janice looked at each other, trying to hide the smirks on their faces.

  ###

  Later that afternoon, Max, Jennie, Draagh, the archangels, and Bagatelle all got together in Draagh's office, looking at star charts. They were attempting to determine if there was a pattern to Samyaza's travels, as had been pointed out by Gadreel.

  "It appears that he is using the Hub as a transit point - specifically, Anaita's domicile," Draagh stated authoritatively. "Other than that, I fail to see any consistency in his travels."

  "Well, that sucks," said Jennie.

  "I agree," said Bagatelle.

  "I guess the only thing we can do is send Gaddy off to visit with his brother and see where it takes us. Are you sure you don't know where he is?" asked Max, looking at the traitorous former member of the Grigori.

  "I only need to contact him, Max. He should bring me to wherever he might be."

  "Well, that sounds easy. Why do we not simply go and attack the fetid spawn of Marnn?" suggested Gabriel.

  "No, my son. We shall need to separate them. According to Gadreel, there are dozens of lower angels in their employ, and we shan't win against such large numbers without incurring losses," said Draagh.

  "I think an antimatter bomb could do the trick. Why not just send one with Gaddy, and then pull him back right before it goes off?" asked Max.

  "My brother would detect such a rudimentary device," said Gadreel.

  "Rudimentary? Rudimentary?" demanded Bagatelle. "I'll have you know the antimatter bomb, aside from the side space hook drive, is the pinnacle of human technology."

  "Human technology, dear nephew," Michael calmly stated. "While your advances are great, please look at what any Primulus is able to do. With but a thought we could create a small thermonuclear-equivalent explosion, but choose to not do so, as we take care in not creating what you call collateral damage."

  "Yes, my boy. We could kill countless millions in doing so. So I say no - we must separate Samyaza from his minions and cut the head off the rancid, evil body of what we call the Grigori," added Draagh.

  "Wow, it's like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place, hmm?" said Jennie, causing Michael to give her a curious glance, not knowing the meaning of the colloquial phrase.

  "Fine. Then we have to let Gaddy go off and meet up with his brother. Sounds like a plan, but I still don't trust him," said Max.

  "Max, please. You must trust me. I can bring you to Samyaza," said Gadreel.

  "Okay, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

  ###

  Samyaza stood in front of a wall of black, nearly indiscernible techno-organic machinery. Attached to the wall was Leonard Johnson, who had numerous tubes and wires connected to his body, some even perversely inserted into his lower orifices. He appeared to be in a coma, but the leader of the Grigori knew better. Touching an exposed part of the human's forehead, he spoke to his mind.

  "Johnson, we must thank you for your efforts. You have no idea how much you assisted us."

  "Who… who is this? I cannot see you. I'm blind. You don't sound like the hive mind."

  "My name is Samyaza. All else matters not. I merely desire to convey gratitude. Mankind shall now perish, and your name shall live in infamy."

  "No! I only wanted to save Mankind! My son! My friends! We were to start again on Earth, but this time without weakness. My son! Do you have knowledge of my son?"

  Samyaza knew that Johnson's son was long dead, but chose not to reveal that bit of information.

  "No, I know not of your offspring, human. He is irrelevant, anyway. All humanity shall perish, and we have you to thank."

  Johnson mentally sunk back into the depths of his subconscious, knowing he had done an incredible wrong. What he had truly believed to be a noble effort had turned out to be the doom for his entire species.

  ###

  "Brother, they wish to have me locate you alone."

  "This cannot be, Gadreel. You must delay them. The insects shall soon mount their final attack, and we will then follow up and kill our most hated enemies, Draagh, Michael and Gabriel, along with the disgusting stain of a hybrid that is Max Gunnarsson."

  "Then what do you propose? They desire me to bring them to you."

  "Play along, and I shall give you the coordinates of our previous destinations. You can then tell them you believe I no longer trust you."

  "Ah, excellent thinking, Brother. Might I ask where your current location is?"

  "Not now, but know we have just paid a visit to the disgusting ghoul who betrayed his species."

  ###

  "He will not tell me where he is right now," said Gadreel, only to receive disbelieving glares from everyone in the room.

  "So, maybe he doesn't trust you anymore?" asked Max.

  "Oh, he trusts me. Of this I am certain."

  "What did you say to him?" asked Gabriel.

  "I simply asked to go to his side. He believes me to be monitoring efforts throughout your star system."

  "Then why not bring you to where he is?" asked Bagatelle.

  "He ordered me to assist in the creation of more activated ghouls on Azul."

  "So it was you guys who did that! Bastard!" screamed Max, as he punched Gadreel directly in the nose (while amplifying his punch with a gravicantus).

  "Max! Desist at once! Gadreel is our only hope to stop this insanity before we lose any more lives!" Michael yelled.

  "I think it was hot," commented Jennie, going up and slapping Max on the butt.

  Gadreel tried to hide a glare of contempt, as he wiped blood from his nose. "I understand Max's disbelief, Jennie. It is difficult, but please know, I am
only here to help."

  "Max, we must be kind to our new ally," said Draagh, as he patted Gadreel on the back, his hand lingering for a moment.

  "Thank you, Uncle. I believe if we work together, without further distrust, we shall be able to stop my brother and his hideous hordes."

  "Gadreel, I want to know how you made supposedly normal, inactive vampires into sun-resistant full bloodsuckers," said Bagatelle.

  "It is not difficult for any of us, Mr… um, what shall I call you? Everyone seems to have given you a different name."

  "Admiral. You can call me Admiral. If you wish to be even more formal you may call me Admiral Bagatelle."

  "Very well then, Admiral Bagatelle. We merely modified the genome of a select, few inactive ghouls and let them run amuck. They then infected some others and it became an outbreak. But I must say, it was not I, nor was it my idea. When this happened I was already committed to assisting you in the salvation of the human race - enhanced subspecies and all."

  "Okay, getting back to business - we need to locate the bug ship - the big one. I'd also like to find that bastard Johnson and rip his throat out," said Max.

  "Max, we will be back on Azul, and the Constitution requires us to provide Len Johnson with a fair trial," Bagatelle stated eloquently.

  "Fine, we find him, give him a trial and hang him in the Plaza de Armas. Done deal, right?" exclaimed Jennie.

  "Um, baby, we don't have a death penalty, remember?" said Max.

  "Well that sucks!"

  "I know, love, but we have to follow the rules if we want to implement permanent change."