Eldritch Ops

by Phipps, C. T.

  “I’m listening.”

  “It’s a long story.” I was committing treason by revealing sensitive House information to an agent of a hostile foreign power, but as Richard Nixon said, it wasn’t a crime when the President did it. Besides, how could I be expected to keep operational security about a facility I hadn’t even been briefed on? So I gave Malcolm a stripped-down version of what Christopher had told me.

  Malcolm was silent for a minute before responding. “Damn. You really are Che.”

  “Can I be Simón Bolívar instead? Because I’m not comfortable with the Guevara comparison.”

  “The Red Room be running a concentration camp and you tell me. That be crossing some lines.”

  “Technically, it’s more a re-education camp, but we’re splitting hairs. I’m going to try and shut it down, and I was curious if I could have your help.”

  I could hear the unease in Malcolm’s voice. “This way above my pay grade.”

  “It also requires a warrior.”

  The tone of his voice became sharper. “No werewolf ever be tame, yo. We are a race of warriors. All of us be willing to lay down our lives for Mother Moon and Lord Sky.”

  I made it a point to do some research on shape-shifter mythology. “I want to break in, take some pictures, and get out. If Dracula attacks in the meantime, I’ll try and release the prisoners as well as sabotage the place.”

  I didn’t tell him I’d also try and help any House personnel to escape. I was between a rock and a hard place when it came to helping them in the expected attack. I wanted to see Camp Zero brought down, but I didn’t want Dracula just to massacre everyone, either. Blame Black Room training, but I’d been taught not to abandon anyone to the monsters unless it was absolutely necessary.

  “Sounds like you need an army.”

  “Or a few werewolves.”

  Malcolm’s hesitation returned. “You know, D, if I was a suspicious man I’d say that you were going to use us to provide security and then cover all this up. That after all this, there won’t be no prison there anymore.”

  Malcolm’s paranoia was working against me. “If I was going to do that, why would I tell you about the place you had no idea existed thus far?”

  Malcolm was silent.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I sat down on a tuft of grass overlooking the beach’s sand. “In fact, I’m hoping you guys will take proof of all this to the Pact.”

  “We be readying for war against the Vampire Nation. I found that out today. The House be our allies.”

  I chose my next words carefully. “This war will not go a direction any of us want. I can’t tell you how I know that, but believe me, it’s true. I don’t want to start a war with the Pact either. I just want to destroy this Camp Zero place and keep things at status quo.”

  “That may not be an option, D. If there be Pact personnel in those cages you describe, people will want blood.”

  “Then we’ll pay reparations. Weirgild, whatever. I’ll do what I can to bring about peace.”

  “Peace is what happens between war.”

  I sighed. “Do I have your help or not?”

  Malcolm’s next words made this very difficult. “I can name you Pactfriend and brother to my pack. You and everyone on your team will be immune. However, if we get there and things go south, I’ll kill House folk to protect my people.”

  I’d seen what werewolf claws could do to human flesh. A team of US Marines, despite being armed with orihalcum weapons, had ended up slaughtered facing a single one of their kind. The thought of condemning fellow House personnel to that was sickening. “If things go south, I promise I’ll fight beside you against my fellows.”

  Malcolm made a “hmph” noise. “I’ll bring my people around. I just hope you don’t get burned by this.”

  “I’m already on fire. A little more gasoline won’t make a difference.” I gave him the address of my current location and hung up.

  “Are you sure it’s wise trusting a werewolf?” Penny’s voice spoke behind me.

  I did a double take and turned around. My sister was standing there, now dressed in blue jeans and a jean jacket with blue ribbons tied in her hair. In her right hand was a large hand-carved walking stick that bore a resemblance to the legendary Staff of Hiawatha, an item Penny had once wielded.

  Seeing her, I got up and wrapped her in an embrace. I wasn’t the most touchy-feely sort of guy, but having my twin in my arms, I felt as if heavy chains were falling off my back. The possession, the flashbacks, Christopher, and all of it didn’t feel like such a burden anymore. I had my other half with me.

  The hug went on a little too long and Penny started patting my back. “Okay, not a stuffed animal here. You can let go.”

  “No,” I said, continuing to hug her.

  “I can curse you,” my sister said. “You’ll be giving presentations to the Committee with a blue tongue.”

  Reluctantly, I let go. “You have no idea the week I’ve been having.”

  “You’re possessed. I’m pretty sure I do.” Penny placed her hand on my head. “Okay, hold still.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to blow the uppity spirit back to hell,” Penny said, tightening her grip on her staff. “Beware, this is going to hurt—a lot.”

  No! Bloody Mary cried out.

  I took Penny’s hand by the wrist. “I’d like to hold off on the exorcism for a bit if you don’t mind.”

  Penny stared at me. “Are you insane?”

  Her look told me she was wondering if I was already under the influence of Bloody Mary, which I might well have been. “I’m actually being pragmatic. I’ve fallen out of a plane at several thousand feet and survived. I’ve fought an entire team of dhampir and avoided getting killed. I’m also on Dracula’s personal hit list. The dem—Mary—has proven most useful.”

  “Mary.” Penny looked at me skeptical. “It has a name now?”

  I don’t like her, Mary said. She is prejudiced against Hell.

  I almost rolled my eyes at that. “She’s made an oath that possessing isn’t her goal. I don’t intend for her to be a permanent resident, but since the Bloodsword is so important to Dracula, I need every advantage I can get.”

  If you don’t want me in your mind, you can bind me to a body of some kind, Bloody Mary said. I have always wanted my own form.

  Fat chance of that, I snapped back.

  “You realize that’s exactly what you’d say if you were mind controlled, right?” Penny said, looking like she was ready to knock me out and drag me to a priest.

  “Check my mind,” I said. “You know me better than anyone.”

  “Yes, which is why I’m worried.” Penny placed her hand on my forehead.

  Penny made a grunting noise, and then I felt a hot flash from her hand. She gritted her teeth and I could feel her presence moving through my mind, searching through my memories and examining my decisions. It was one of the techniques my father, possibly the greatest mind-manipulator on Earth, had taught her.

  I expected the process to take only a few seconds, but Penny spent several minutes searching through my head. I was getting irritated by the whole thing by the time she stopped.

  Frowning, Penny said, “She’s deep in your subconscious, but the areas of your mind related to free will, secrets of the House, and other vital points are unaffected.”

  “That’s what I said.” In truth, I was relieved to find out I wasn’t being manipulated. There was a difference between having faith and possessing proof.

  “It’s not normal,” Penny pointed out. “Demons don’t play nice with mortals. They possess you, use you up, and then jump into the next body. Throw in the fact that you’re able to use the Bloodsword and it sounds like someone is setting you up.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Dracula was a holy warrior until he was turned into a tool of Tiamat-Abaddon. Watch yourself.”

  “I’m pretty sure Dracula was a monster the moment he was
released from Turkish slavery. He wasn’t corrupted to Hell’s service; he chose it.”

  Penny shrugged. “Fine. This is all because you’re badass and don’t have to be afraid of the demon inside your head. You’re using her, she’s not using you, and everything is going to work out just fine.”

  “Thank you.”

  “That was sarcasm.”

  “No kidding.”

  I thought of the Bloodsword and the rush I’d gotten using it to slice through Black Squadron and the vampires on Dracula’s jet. I could also, if I thought hard, catch glimpses of the other vampires I’d killed. The power I possessed with the weapon was amazing. It was enough to do the work of a dozen agents and, unlike the One Ring, could be used for good.

  At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

  Power is an intoxicant no matter what form you choose, Bloody Mary said. It is a lie we tell children that they should not seek it. Knowledge, influence, and wealth are all forms of it. Only those who have it are truly happy.

  I decided I would get Mary removed when this was done. You oversold your case, Mary.

  Have I? Mary asked. I think you’ll agree with me soon enough.

  “How did you get here, anyway?” I said, looking at Penny. “Paris is hours away. And I thought you’d be bringing equipment.”

  Penny gestured with the side of her head to a fishing boat that hadn’t been there before. I realized it was covered in more disguise and stealth charms than anything I’d seen.

  “All the stuff you asked, and more is onboard,” Penny said, smiling. “Division Four had a bunch of these and the French Chief was willing to hand it over without question. One of the benefits of being related to two Committee members, I guess.”

  “Yes, but how did you get here with it?”

  Penny looked uncomfortable. “I kind of made a pact with an astral entity to fold space.”

  Teleportation was one of the few mystical powers regular humans couldn’t do. The power was possible but required levels of energy that simply weren’t available on the material plane. Instead, it required a being of the astral plane to serve as a bridge between two points of space.

  Thought was the one infinite thing in the universe, and as beings of such, they were capable of being in two places at once. The metaphysics were complex but doable. My chief concern was that Penny was illustrating just the sort of haphazard acting before thinking I was prone to. Astral entities, be they gods, demons, or squid-tentacle monsters, were not the sort of people you made deals with causally. Dammit, only I could be an idiot for my twin!

  I stared at her. “And you’re calling me out about the Bloody Mary thing.”

  “A one-time deal! It won’t come back to haunt me!”

  “Right.”

  I put my hands-on Penny’s shoulders. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”

  “We’re family. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  I took a deep breath. I don’t suppose, Mary, you saw anything that might happen to us on this mission?

  Your sister is a warrior, Bloody Mary said. Someday, in the future, she will fall. I do not speak of prophecy, for I have seen no images of her death but the one we seek to avert. I am simply speaking of an eventuality of all who live by violence. Eventually, it claims you. This is as true for you as for her.

  I regretted asking her. I make my own destiny. I’m not going to let my sister get killed on this mission or any others.

  Destiny is the sum of our choices, Bloody Mary said. We cannot change who we are. Only pain, sorrow, and love can.

  I wasn’t going to let my twin die. I’d find a way to stop it. “It doesn’t matter. Give me a tour of the boat. Malcolm and his company should be arriving soon.”

  “Who is Malcolm?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I spent the next hour and a half looking over the interior of the fishing boat. Penny had assembled all of equipment I’d requested and then some. There were guns, jamming equipment, body armor, diving equipment, explosives, and a few mystical items I had no idea as to the purpose of.

  I spent most of that time hearing Penny’s explanations and soaking up the fact that we were about to go against the House. The rest of my time had been spent sending a coded transmission to my father’s private line, requesting a meeting.

  I had questions and intended to get my answers from the source. Nathan hadn’t responded yet, so Penny and I were in the boat’s hold, surrounded by lockers full of weapons and machinery I only had the vaguest idea how to operate. This was the sort of vehicle for a highly trained team of six rather than the makeshift crew I’d assembled. I was pondering this when there was a knocking on the wooden door above us.

  “Yes?” I asked, holding an M100, the latest in assault rifles.

  “Our furry guests have arrived,” Shannon’s voice said on the other side.

  I opened the door for her and noticed she’d changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt, altering her features so she was now a black-haired girl with Eurasian features. A pair of sunglasses rested on the bridge of her nose.

  “Nice disguise,” I said, handing her the M100. “But you should go less tourist and more embittered local.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Shannon said, inspecting the assault rifle before looking at Penny. “We’re going to have to do something about your favorite Scream Queen, though.”

  “I can clean up and look like one of the straights,” Penny said, snapping her fingers. “With just a gesture, people will see whatever I want them to.”

  Shannon was unimpressed. “I’m more worried about what cameras will pick up. We can’t leave any visual evidence we were there.”

  “I’ve been on missions before, thank you,” Penny said, taking a “better than thou” tone. “Are you sure we can trust the werewolves?”

  “You know we can hear you down there,” Malcolm’s voice trailed from the deck above.

  “Yes, we can,” I said, more for Malcolm’s benefit than Penny’s. “I wouldn’t bring them on this mission if they didn’t have my complete trust.”

  They didn’t, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  “You know we could be spending the rest of our lives on the run,” Shannon said, reminding me of what we all knew.

  “Well, then, at least it will be short,” I said, giving Shannon a quick kiss on the lips. “Now let’s go meet our allies for this bit of treason esoterrorism.”

  Walking up the fishing boat’s steps, I came across to the wooden dock and saw six figures waiting there. The first was Malcolm, wearing a long leather coat over a t-shirt depicting a cartoon coyote underneath an anvil. He stood over the other five like a titan, all the other ones hovering around him like the Secret Service did the President. He was their leader, without a doubt. They were also worried about his safety.

  The other five werewolves were a collection of Bahamian locals with African features and punk attire. One looked like Wesley Snipes with electric-blue dyed hair, another had a face-full of piercings, two were female identical twins with half-shaved hair, and the fifth had an undead rocker tattoo on his face. All of them were dressed similarly to Malcolm, complete with the coyote t-shirts. It made them look like a mix between a street gang and a bowling team.

  “Meet the Dead Coyotes,” Malcolm said. “We’re a war pack.”

  I waved. “Nice to meet you all.”

  The last time I’d met with a werewolf pack, I’d been leading three squadrons of Marines and two teams of senior agents armed with grenade launchers. We’d lost half of our personnel and managed to triumph only because our witch forced them into human form. To this day, I wasn’t even certain what we’d been fighting over.

  The one with the face full of piercings looked disgusted. “We’re not here because we want to be. All of us think Malcolm is making a terrible mistake getting involved with the Illuminati.” He made a weird hand gesture, and it took me a second to realize it was a ward against the Evil Eye.

&nb
sp; “Well, I didn’t invite him to the torch-lit ceremonies where we worship Cthulhu and plot world domination through rap music, but there’s still time,” I said, looking among them. I couldn’t believe they took the rumors about us seriously.

  All of them stared daggers at me, except for Malcolm. They weren’t big fans of sarcasm, it seemed.

  “You should have held off on revealing the rituals to worship Cthulhu,” Penny said, leaning up to whisper in my ear.

  “Yeah, you could have started with how the Scottish Rite controls Baskin and Robbins,” Shannon said, looking unimpressed with the group. “No one suspects the true purpose of Rocky Road is fiendish.”

  “Guys, now’s not the time,” I said, realizing we had to walk on eggshells with these guys. Malcolm was their leader, but they weren’t fans of his decision to ally with me. In retrospect, it had been a miracle they’d showed up at all.

  The man with the piercings growled, revealing dog-like canines. “You’re mocking us.”

  I bit my tongue before I said something I regretted.

  Shannon didn’t. “No, that’s just a joke. You’ll know when we’re mocking you.”

  I started counting the moments down before this turned into a free-for-all. Shannon could take down a transformed werewolf and so could Penny. I, now that I had the Bloodsword, could do the same. There were six werewolves here, one of whom was my friend, which meant inciting an attack was tantamount to suicide. I needed to calm the situation down and reign in the snark.

  Which was a new experience for me.

  “Down, Shadow,” Malcolm raised his right hand. “I owe Derek Hawthorne my life and he’s killed many vampires. He is a worthy ally.”

  “He’s a member of the Committee,” Shadow said, snapping back. “His kind are as bad as the Fangs or worse.”

  I agreed with Shadow but wasn’t going to bring that up right now for obvious reasons.

  “Is this going to be a problem, Malcolm? Because I can do this without you,” I said, lying through my teeth. I needed muscle on this trip in case things went south. Even six werewolves might not be enough to guarantee success.