Reprisal

by Charles Tillman

  “Thank you, Abel,” Akio told the EI.

  Eve was focused on Koda and the information Abel had sent. She failed to notice Diago as he quietly made his way to the door.

  “Stop there, or I will shoot the girl,” Diago called as he pointed a pistol at Koda’s head. Eve turned her head toward the sound and saw he was using the wall for cover with only his gun hand and a small part of his head exposed.

  Koda froze, her eyes wide and her face turning pale. “Eve, don’t let him hurt me,” she whispered.

  Eve’s circuits lit up in rage when she heard the fear in Koda’s voice. She took control of the remaining drone in the hall and watched its progress as it slowly and silently moved into position above Diago.

  “You are one of the fecal stains who took my friend. I suggest that you drop the gun while you still can.” Eve’s voice was devoid of any feeling.

  “Whatever you are, you are in no position to give orders. Now, you drop your weapon and move away from the girl,” he snapped.

  “Last chance,” Eve warned.

  His face flushed with rage, and he lowered his aim until the gun was pointing at Eve. She brought the hovering drone down at high velocity. It hit Diago’s wrist and punched through it in a spray of blood and bone.

  Diago screamed in pain as the gun fell from his unresponsive hand. He grabbed his shattered wrist with his other hand as his vision blurred with pain.

  Eve calmly aimed her carbine at him and braced herself for the tremendous recoil to come. “Diago Shimizu, you have been a parasite on society for too long. That ends now.”

  Koda had watched the whole thing and realized what Eve was planning. She called out to her softly. “Eve, do not do this. He has committed a wrong against me, and I am sure many others, but this is not the way. Let the authorities deal with him. You’re not a murderer. If you shoot him now, that is what it is.”

  Eve froze, her finger a split-second from triggering the hypervelocity round into the helpless man. She carefully raised the muzzle of the gun and released the pressure on the trigger. “You’re right, Koda. Thank you. Abel, notify the police to send officers and a medical team to my location.”

  Abel answered a short time later. “Police and medical units dispatched.”

  Eve silently watched Diago until the first officer arrived and took him into custody. She realized that she had almost allowed herself to become a monster like him.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Tokyo, Shinjuku City Section

  Horst brought the craft down in an overgrown park. It was adjacent to an abandoned university complex just north of the Shinjuku section of Tokyo. He had ignored Heinz’s orders, deciding that he needed to get to Dieter sooner in hopes of convincing him to abandon Heinz and his plans of dominating Asia before the Dark One destroyed him.

  He concealed the craft with debris from a collapsed building and started walking in the direction of the Yakuza shop where he would locate Dieter. He had walked roughly four kilometers when he felt a prickling down his back, he sensed he was being watched.

  He heard a noise behind him and stiffened as a low voice told him, “I suggest that you do nothing stupid. I wish only to speak to you.”

  Horst spun and saw a man dressed in dark clothing holding a bare sword in his hand standing about ten meters behind him.

  Another voice, this one female, spoke from a position to his left and rear. “Horst, we don’t want to hurt you. We really wish to talk to you.”

  He backed up, putting his back to a boarded-up doorway where he could watch both. “What do you want?” He demanded, though he had already recognized both from photographs and had an idea they wanted him dead.

  The woman spoke again. “We know that you do not agree with what Heinz is doing. We also know that you chose not to warn him when you discovered what we did to the Forsaken and Nosferatu at the prison.”

  He stiffened at this, wondering how these people had this information, and more importantly, how long they had been watching him. “What of it? I know who he is, and also that he murders all others from our world.” He nodded at Akio.

  “No, you’re wrong,” the woman told him. “We do not kill indiscriminately or murder, as you say. Those who follow the command of our Queen that the humans are not harmed have nothing to fear. Those who use their power to cause harm and prey on humankind are dealt with appropriately.”

  She moved closer to Horst and he saw that she was a young-looking woman with an open look on her face, but his experience with vampires had taught him that looks were deceiving. “All I want to do is take my brother and go. I assure you I have no intention of going back to Heinz or participating in his mad plans any longer. I never supported this madness to begin with.”

  “We are aware of your feelings about Heinz,” she informed him. “Chang too, for that matter.”

  His eyes widened in shock. Surely these people did not have the ability to hear his most private thoughts or the infrequent conversations he only had with Dieter. “How can you know this?”

  “We have been watching since the day you dropped your brother off in Vladivostok,” Yuko stated calmly. “We were able to track him here as well as gather intelligence on the prison and lab complexes.”

  “Dieter, my brother. Where is he?”

  Yuko shook her head. “He was with a group of criminals who had kidnapped a human member of our team. When given the chance to surrender, he attacked instead. I’m sorry, but he is dead.”

  Horst slumped against the door, feeling empty inside at the loss of his twin.

  Yuko cautiously stepped up to him and gently placed her hand on his arm. He jerked and started to push her away until he saw the sorrow in her eyes.

  She felt his body jerk but did not pull away from him. Instead, she projected a slight sense of calm and let him see that she was truly sorry for his grief.

  “He, he was my brother. My last connection to my true family,” Horst whispered, his voice laced with grief.

  Akio had been inside his mind since Yuko had approached him, poised to cut him down if he showed any sign of trying to harm her. He sheathed his sword, knowing that the Were was not currently a threat.

  “Horst,” he called softly.

  Horst looked up at him questioningly.

  “I know you are not like Heinz,” Akio told him. “That your plan was to take your brother and leave. If you want to leave, that can be arranged, but if you are willing to live in peace with humanity, there is a place for you here.”

  Horst frowned. “How would you ever trust me not to betray you? I have been with Heinz for many years. Not to mention, you killed Dieter.”

  “I know you hated Heinz and what he is doing,” Akio told him. “I can also see that although you grieve, you knew Dieter was committed to Heinz. Again, if you would like to stay here, as long as you do no harm, you will be left in peace.”

  Yuko gently squeezed the arm she was holding. “We don’t have any quarrel with you, Horst.”

  “What about Heinz?” Horst spat. “Destroying the Nosferatu will set him back, but he will not stop until he has found you. He is obsessed with ruling all of Asia and will not stop until he is successful or dead.”

  “Heinz will not see the next sunset,” Akio stated in a low voice.

  “I know that you are powerful, but Heinz is, too,” Horst argued. “He has had many years to work on making himself and others stronger. He is a dangerous foe.” His hands squeezed into fists, his mouth a tight line as he thought about Heinz. “Do you plan to bomb him with your super bombs? Anything else would be suicidal.”

  “No,” Yuko replied. “We know he has some human captives in the lab. They are innocent and need to be freed.”

  “How do you plan to get in?” Horst asked. “He has automatic gun emplacements hidden around the exterior. If you are detected, you will not make it to the base.”

  Akio raised one eyebrow when he heard this. None of their surveillance had detected any remote defenses. “We will do wh
at we must. Heinz has to be stopped.”

  Horst nodded his head, a distant look in his eyes for a moment. He pushed himself off the door he had been slumped against once he had made up his mind. “I want him dead. He is responsible for the deaths of my parents, and he poisoned my brother’s mind to the point that he too was killed. I can get you into the base unharmed if you are willing to trust me.”

  Yuko looked at Akio. A few seconds later, he nodded. “He is being truthful.”

  Research Laboratory, Acheng, China

  The sun had just risen above the mountains when Horst brought the craft down into the valley where the hangar entrance was situated. Two human servants opened the doors to allow him to maneuver inside, closing them as soon as the craft was clear. He went through his normal routine of shutting down before opening the door. Both men were standing unconcerned when the craft opened.

  They both lowered their eyes to the ground when he exited. Although they were willing servants, they knew their place and did not wish to risk the ire of their masters.

  “I have some supplies inside. Unload them and take them to the kitchen,” Horst ordered as he strode toward the entrance to the common area.

  The men hurried to comply. When they stepped into the craft, Akio knocked them both unconscious. He was tying them up when Horst returned.

  “The way is clear,” Horst informed them. “These are the only ones on duty. I have disabled the air defenses. The trucks are gone, too, so the pack and Miko have left to prepare the Nosferatu. They left sometime after I did yesterday, so we have at least one hour until the soonest they could return.”

  Yuko stepped out of the door, her Jean Dukes holstered on her hip and her katana fixed to the back of her armor.

  Akio followed, dressed the same. “We weren’t able to get the full layout of this place,” he told Horst. “We know that the humans are being held one level down and there are labs below that, but we do not have the full picture of that level.”

  “Heinz has his lab there,” Horst replied. “It’s the room farthest from the stairs at the end of the hall on the left. That’s where he spends most of his time. He doesn’t interact with the others here unless it’s absolutely necessary. There is another level below the lab where he keeps his private rooms. Its only entrance is a stairway that leads down from inside his lab. He also has a bolt hole in his rooms that leads into the caves beneath the mountains. Even I don’t know where it comes out.”

  “That could pose a problem,” Akio mused. “Where is he normally at this time of day?”

  Horst thought for a moment. “It’s hard to say. He normally keeps to his rooms during the day, but if he’s working on something, he will stay at it until he’s satisfied.”

  “What about Chang?” Yuko questioned. “He’s not in his office or the common areas right now. Where will he be?”

  “He has rooms on the same level as the lab,” Horst replied. “His is the room closest to the stairs on the same side as the lab. Dieter and I have the rooms on the opposite side. He will be in his rooms until around four unless Heinz calls for him before then.”

  Eve was holding her position in a Black Eagle high above the base, monitoring her network of drones.

  “Eve,” Akio called over his chip. “Horst says that the air defenses are now disabled, but the people Heinz sent to the prison could be returning soon. Keep watch for them.”

  “I’m already tracking them. They are about two hours out at their present speed.”

  “That’s good. We will be done well before they return. Horst also says that Heinz has an escape route out of his rooms. Have you located any areas during your exploring that could be a cave that exits the complex?”

  “There are numerous areas that could be cave entrances. I haven’t mapped but a few, and they all seem to be dead ends.”

  “Saturate the area with drones. If Heinz gets away, we want to catch him before he is able to leave the caves in the darkness.”

  “Already done.” She sent a command out to the drones. “Abel, take control of the drones and monitor their progress. Let me know as soon as you find anything.”

  “Control established. Locating and mapping possible routes,” Abel acknowledged.

  “Time to go,” Akio stated. “Horst, come with me to the labs. Heinz expects you to report as soon as you arrive, correct?”

  “Ja. He is also expecting Dieter, but I should be able to locate and distract him long enough for you to prevent his escape.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Research Laboratory, Acheng, China

  Horst led them out of the hangar and through the passage to the common room. “Wait here for a moment,” he requested before they entered the room.

  He crossed the common room and went through a swinging door that opened into a kitchen. Moments later, four young women came running out and headed up the stairs to the surface entrance.

  Horst followed closely behind and motioned for Akio and Yuko to come. When they met, he told them, “The cook was loyal to Chang, but the women were taken from their villages and forced to serve. The cook will never be a vampire now.”

  “We need to hurry,” Akio urged. “I want this finished before the others return.”

  They quietly made their way down to the lab level and stopped on the landing. Akio turned to Yuko. “Are you ready for this, Yuko? I can deal with Chang while you free the prisoners if you’d like.”

  “No. Go and handle Heinz. I will give you time to get there before I go after Chang. That way, Heinz will not have any warning.”

  Akio pursed his lips and nodded. “Very good. Fight smart, Yuko.”

  Yuko nodded. “Hai.”

  Horst had silently watched the exchange. He opened the door and started down the hall to the labs when they were done. Akio followed him, a silent, deadly shadow.

  Yuko slipped across the hall and stood beside the door to Chang’s quarters. When Horst entered the door at the end of the hall, she heard a voice ask, “Where is Dieter?”

  Yuko opened the door and stepped into the room, her sword leading the way. Chang was sitting in a chair with a ledger on his lap. He looked up, prepared to punish whoever entered his quarters unannounced. His mouth fell open in shock as he saw the young woman standing there with bare steel in her hand.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Chang yelled as he stood, letting the ledger fall to the floor.

  Yuko growled. “By order of Queen Bethany Anne, you are sentenced to die for your crimes against humanity.”

  Chang jumped and flipped over the chair, twisting as he did so to snatch a thick, short-bladed sword from where it rested on a table against the wall.

  He turned to Yuko, holding the sword in a ready position. “Your Queen is gone. You have no power here.”

  Chang rushed Yuko almost faster than her eye could follow, the blade pointed at her throat. She slipped to the right and brought her katana down in a fast arc. Chang stumbled briefly as her razor-sharp blade slashed his left shoulder to the bone.

  He caught his balance and changed direction, slicing at her as he moved across the floor. She grunted as the short, heavy blade hit her side. Her armor saved her skin, but the blow reverberated through her body.

  Chang stopped against the far wall and turned to face her, his shoulder already healing. “You’re fast, woman, but not fast enough.” He launched another attack as he spoke.

  Yuko parried his blade and sparks flew from it. They exchanged a series of fast slashes and thrusts, neither able to get through the other’s guard. The sound of clashing steel filled the small space for several minutes.

  Chang pressed her hard, the heavy blade sending shock after shock into her arms with each blow.

  Yuko stepped back to avoid a thrust to her head and momentarily lost her footing on an ornate rug that slipped. Chang saw the opportunity and surged forward, intending to run the short sword through her chest while her guard was down.

  She allowed herself to fall to the floor, the blad
e barely missing her as it went over her body. She lashed out with her armored boot and caught Chang’s knee as he stumbled, off-balance after missing her. She was rewarded by his scream of pain as her boot hit his knee.

  Yuko surged to her feet and slashed his uninjured leg behind the knee.

  Chang spun and tried to bring his blade to bear on her head, but his damaged knee gave out, and he fell to the floor.

  Yuko struck in an instant, taking advantage of his vulnerable position. She drove her blade deep into his chest, twisting it to cause maximum damage.

  Chang’s mouth opened in a silent scream as she wrenched her blade from his body and followed up with a downward strike that split his head from crown to chin. She pulled her blade free from his bloody remains and deftly removed the head, unwilling to take even a small chance that he could heal the massive damage already sustained.

  She wiped the gore from her blade with a coat hanging from a hook by the door as she set out to free the captives being held on the level above.

  Heinz had a syringe in one hand and a vial of blood in the other. He was carefully injecting a small amount of a milky substance into the vial of blood. He didn’t acknowledge Horst until he had completed the task and placed the vial in a rack with several more on the desk.

  “Where is Dieter?” Heinz demanded. “You were to bring him back with the information.”

  Horst’s face flushed with anger and his eyes flashed yellow. “He’s dead,” he snarled. “Killed because he was enamored of your sick dream of ruling the humans. Dead because of you!” he yelled before his body transformed into a large snow-white wolf.

  Heinz’s body blurred as he pushed away from the desk and leapt out of the chair. He stopped against a counter to the side, his fangs bared and deadly claws sprouting from the tips of his fingers.

  His eyes glowed red. “You dare threaten me? I raised you as my own, and this is the payment I get?”

  Horst lowered his head, his hackles up as he stalked toward the enraged vampire. His muscles tensed and he launched at the scientist, his jaws wide and his intent clear.