Retribution

by Charles Tillman

  “Now, look at this.” The monitor flashed then showed a well-fed man dressed in clothes in much better condition than any of the others.

  It cycled through four more stills, each of a different person, but all wore similar clothes and were healthy.

  “Our data shows that typical Sacred Clan teams contain three to four members. These men don’t seem to work and appear to be in excellent health compared to everyone else. I have drones deployed to verify if the data is correct or if a group of human toughs took over the village,” Abel explained.

  “If it is humans, shouldn’t someone stop them as well?”

  “Yes, but that isn’t within the queen’s established mission parameters.”

  “What are the parameters?

  “The Forsaken come first. We eliminate them when we find them preying on humans. Next are the Weres. Akio has always eliminated them until recently.”

  “What changed?”

  “Horst joined us after he fled Heinz. Since then, Akio has been willing to give any who didn’t take part in the abuse, or those forced to take part, a chance at redemption.”

  “Has that worked?” Doubt hung heavy in Kenjii’s voice.

  “Yes.” The screen changed again. It showed an oval-shaped structure that looked like it had been a stadium in the past. It now housed a thriving marketplace filled with tables and stalls loaded with many types of goods.

  “This is a human and Were settlement in Adelaide, Australia. Akio and Horst went there and rescued the humans from certain death. They also freed the Weres from a maniacal alpha and his followers. It’s now a thriving community that will soon be a regular stop for the shipping company Eve and Horst have formed.”

  “Do the Weres run the town?”

  “No. There is a council composed of Weres and humans, but a human woman handles the day-to-day operations.”

  “The Weres submit to a human woman?”

  “No. Both groups have a voice. The O’Donnell woman is merely the loudest. Well, that and her ideas and instincts have the entire community living better than any of them have in years.”

  “Amazing. I never thought I would see that.”

  “You’ve met Koda and Asai. Yuko and Eve have taught them to be valuable partners in their business ventures. Horst and Koda are romantically involved. Why are you surprised by this?”

  “It’s so different from what I knew. Granted, I based much of what I thought on lies, but the Weres, even Horst and his brother, were always beneath the vampires.”

  “Bethany Anne changed the rules where that was concerned. She believes that people—humans, vampires, and Weres—should work together to make the world a better place for all. She bases position on abilities, and she leveled the field between the vampires and Weres when she fixed their nanocytes. Eve told me some Weres are a match for any Forsaken. Her Bitches were human, more or less, and neither group wanted to take any of them on.”

  Kenjii shook his head in wonder. “I can’t wait to meet this woman responsible for so much change. Akio is happier than I remember him from before. He has a purpose now, and it shows.”

  “Eve has told me that Bethany Anne will return. When that day comes, Akio will resume his position as one of her guards. You will certainly encounter her at some point.”

  “I would like that. Can you show me more?”

  “Yes.”

  The scene on the wall changed again to show a long rectangular building. The image expanded until it focused on one end of the structure.

  “This is a poultry farm. I only discovered it today, but the site is most likely a Clan location.”

  Kenjii looked hard at the image. “Why? I don’t see any people around.”

  The picture changed again and kept moving, revealing that it was a recording when it showed four men approaching a modest house next to the barn. Four others came out of the house to meet them.

  While they talked, one man looked at the barn and ran toward it. He crossed the distance in a blur, then disappeared inside. Seconds later, an unnaturally thin man flew out of the building and landed in a limp heap several meters away. The man who had gone inside stormed out and lifted his hapless victim with one hand, shook him twice, then swiped his free hand across his neck. A spray of blood painted the air and the aggressor dropped the dead body to the ground, then strode back to the group who watched, unconcerned.

  “Can you go back to where he struck the other man and freeze the image?”

  Abel didn’t reply, but the screen switched to the requested scene.

  “Zoom in on the hand that struck him, please.”

  The picture slowly expanded until all it showed was the hand and the victim's lower face, throat, and upper chest. The now-visible claws going into the man's throat were several centimeters long.

  “That is Clan.” Kenjii grunted.

  “Based on the data, there is a ninety-nine-point-three-five percent probability you are correct.”

  Kenjii nodded, his eyes still focused on the image. “How old is this footage?”

  “Four minutes twenty-seven seconds.”

  “How long would it take to reach that location in one of the air vehicles?”

  “Allowing for the time to bring a Pod here, combined with the distance traveling at allowed maximum velocity, eight minutes and fifteen seconds.”

  Kenjii thought a moment before he ordered, “Summon a Pod. I will take care of these tigers while Akio deals with the Forsaken.”

  “That is not authorized.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You haven’t been granted access for solo use of any TQB air assets.”

  “How do I get such permission?”

  “It requires authorization from Akio, Yuko, or Eve before I can comply with your request.”

  “How do I contact one of them?”

  “Connecting to Akio.”

  Seconds later, Akio’s voice came over the speaker. “Hai, Abel?”

  “Akio,” Kenjii called, “Abel and I have located another of those Clan farms. One tiger has just killed a human. According to Abel, I can get there in under ten minutes, but he says I don’t have permission to use a Pod.”

  The silence dragged out for several seconds.

  “Akio, are you there?”

  “Hai. How many tigers?”

  “Eight now, but the others appear to be leaving. If I hurry, I can catch them all.”

  “You’re not enhanced. Eight could prove to be more than you could successfully defeat,” Akio reminded him.

  He doesn’t believe I can handle this. He thinks I’m not capable, but I killed many of the tigers after I left the lab. He doesn’t trust me.

  “Akio, I’ve learned to use the tiger swords. You’ve seen that I can handle myself against multiple foes. I took that Pricolici without help,” Kenjii countered.

  “Hai, you’ve demonstrated your ability. I question the number of foes. If any of them can change into Pricolici form, that many might prove to be more than even I could handle unscathed.”

  “Suppose I wait until the others leave and only the four are there. I could take them while Abel tracked the rest. I could intercept the others afterward.”

  Akio didn’t answer immediately. Kenjii waited impatiently, not wanting to seem to beg. After several long seconds, Akio replied.

  “That is acceptable, but Abel is in control of the Pod, and he won’t allow you to engage the first group until the other is out of hearing. They must be far enough away that they cannot return in time to reinforce the group you challenge.”

  “I can do this!” Kenjii exclaimed. “I will kill the tigers and free the humans. Then I will hunt the others as they did me before you found me.”

  “Full armor, including the helmet and face protection. I know you can heal, but you are not to take unneeded risks.” There was another pause, then he added, “We have plans for tonight.”

  “How could I forget that? We will celebrate our victories as warriors should.”

&
nbsp; Akio chuckled. “Hai. Remember your training and trust your instincts. If something seems amiss, get out of there. We’ll take care of them later. The human is already dead, and neither you nor Abel have indicated that there is immediate danger.”

  “I promise I will use caution, and I won’t do anything that will cause you to think less of me.”

  “I could never think ill of you. You have brought me joy I thought I would never have again. Don’t rush in and fight smart.”

  “Hai.” Kenjii smiled. “These are only tigers. You’re the one going into the lair of ancestors only know how many Forsaken. I expect you to do the same. I will help you take them if you feel you need assistance.”

  “I agree to your terms.” Akio laughed. “I’m almost to the location. I’ll join you once I’ve finished here.”

  “Be careful, and know that I love you,” Kenjii whispered.

  “As I do you. Abel, authorization granted. Take care of him, please.”

  “Affirmative. A Pod is inbound, ETA forty-one seconds,” Abel advised before he cut the comm.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Edinburgh, Scotland

  The Black Eagle descended like a bird of prey from the cloud-covered sky into the courtyard of the manor house. Humans scattered, seeking cover from the strange device that came from above.

  Akio climbed out of the cockpit when it stopped, hovering centimeters above the ground. He surveyed the area, spotted a metal gate set into the high stone-and-timber fence fastened with a heavy lock and chain, and walked toward the entrance, his senses extended for danger. He detected three Forsaken and four humans inside the house and many more humans in the enclosed area outside the building.

  A human man over six feet tall eyed him as he approached the gate. He held a club with sharpened bits of metal covered in dried blood sticking out of it. “Keep back. The Master has forbidden anyone to approach this gate.” He waved the club menacingly as he growled in an almost unintelligible accent.

  “Step aside,” Akio instructed as he neared the gate.

  “I said for ye t’ stay the fook back,” the guard growled as he advanced and drew the club above his head.

  Akio never slowed his steady pace. In an instant, the man’s upper body disappeared in a spray of blood. The explosive blast from Akio’s Jean Dukes Special warped the gate as it destroyed the Forsaken’s lackey.

  Akio walked through the gore surrounding the area and snapped a kick into the bent framework. The broken chain hurled bits of metal like bullets as the gate slammed against the stone wall and warped further.

  Akio turned on his heel and headed for the entrance to the house. “You’re free. Leave this place,” he called to the cowering humans, injecting a touch of fear into their minds to hurry them along.

  Sacred Clan farm, Xianghongdian Reservoir, Sanhe, China

  “The four are far enough away they won’t hear the altercation. Do you wish to descend?”

  “Hai. Can you drop me right in front of the house?”

  “That would not be tactically sound. Recommend observing for additional threats and using stealth to approach the structure.”

  Kenjii huffed in frustration. “Abel, did you not tell me that all the tigers who left are out of range?”

  “Yes. What’s your point?”

  “If there were only eight to start with and four departed, and the four remaining are inside the structure as your sensors now show, why the hell would I want to walk in from a distance?”

  “To use sound tactics. Simply because I don’t detect more threats doesn’t mean it’s safe to stroll into the house like you own it,” Abel replied, a hint of disdain in his voice.

  “You’re being ridiculous, Abel.”

  “Akio made it clear you are not to take unnecessary risks. What you propose violates that directive.”

  “Have it your way,” Kenjii snapped. “Put me on the ground, now.”

  The Pod drifted over the small community and landed behind a ridge a half kilometer away.

  “Please ensure that your communicator is active. I will monitor you from above while I keep track of the four who departed.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Open the door.” Kenjii growled as he pulled the communicator out of his armor and set it to voice activation, a feature Eve had installed at Akio’s request to facilitate combat operations. Until Kenjii agreed to go in the Pod-doc, he wouldn’t have an implant.

  “Do you copy, Abel?”

  “Loud and clear. Overwatch established. Happy hunting.”

  “Domo.”

  Kenjii strode over the ridge and did not attempt to conceal himself as he approached the structure where the Clan members were. He covered the distance in seconds, angry that Abel had refused to drop him where he wanted. When he reached the structure, he never paused—he hit the wooden door with his armored shoulder and burst inside in a shower of splinters.

  “Greetings. Time to die, kitties.” Kenjii taunted right before a hard blow knocked him against the doorframe hard enough to shake the house on its foundations.

  Kenjii glimpsed movement out of the corner of his eye and jerked his head to the side, barely avoiding a blow by a huge orange and white paw with thick black claws. The nails gouged the wood centimeters from his face and ripped it away in jagged splinters.

  He lashed out with an armored boot and caught a two-hundred-kilo tiger with a glancing blow to its chest, knocking it away before it could follow up on the first strike.

  Kenjii twisted his body and slashed down with one sword, slicing into the shoulder of a second beast hurtling through the air toward his exposed face. He’d neglected to lower his visor before he rushed in, expecting to run through the Clan members here with minor effort. The tigers he currently faced had other ideas.

  Edinburgh, Scotland

  Akio approached the stone steps that led to the heavy oak door of the stone and wood manor, detecting two Forsaken on the first level and a third on a level below. His armored boot shattered the crossbeam securing the double doors from the inside, and a pained cry greeted him as sunlight streamed into the room.

  Akio’s mouth curled up on one side as he stepped inside. The front room was empty, and dust motes danced in the air currents blowing through the open door. The two Forsaken he had detected earlier had fled the deadly rays into the darkness that shrouded the back of the house. The Forsaken had nailed heavy planks over the windows, casting the interior into a gloomy twilight where dim oil lamps provided the only illumination.

  “I know you’re there. Come out and face me,” Akio called into the gloom.

  A soft squeak of a board alerted him to the Forsaken’s approach. His enhanced vision cut through the dark, showing a female with blonde hair to her waist watching him.

  “What do you want? We have no quarrel with you,” she called in a crisp English accent.

  “You hold humans as chattel. That’s forbidden.”

  “Forbidden?” She scoffed. “By whom? You? The strictures? Michael is dead, and his bitch abandoned us.”

  “That’s Queen Bitch to you, Forsaken,” he growled as his eyes turned red.

  Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed an O. “You’re him. The one whispered about by the UnknownWorld. The vigilante who hunts other vampires. The Dark One!”

  Akio nodded once. In the next instant, he stood in front of the Forsaken with his katana held in a high guard position. The vampire gasped as she threw a hand up to fend him off. His blade flashed in a downward blur and cleaved through muscle and bone.

  The Forsaken’s face froze in its shocked expression. Akio watched dispassionately as a thin diagonal red line appeared across her throat. Her face went slack as her head slid at an angle until it toppled off the stump of her neck. Akio turned toward the rear of the house and the next threat before the Forsaken’s body slumped lifelessly to the floor.

  Akio slipped through the darkness like a silent shadow, senses extended as he homed in on the hidden vampire. When he stepped into a short hallway,
a bright flash followed by a hard blow to his chest knocked him back two steps. He looked down at his armor-covered torso and saw multiple small dents on the surface.

  “You shot me?” Akio pursed his lips and shook his head in disgust.

  “Die, you bastard,” the Forsaken screamed as he rushed around the corner. He’d expected the blast to incapacitate Akio, forcing him to heal the injury. He never heard the report of Akio’s Jean Dukes Special and his head exploded in a red mist, spraying blood and bits of bone and gray matter on the walls, floor, and ceiling.

  I rushed that one. I’ll never hear the end of this from Yuko. He snorted as he self-consciously rubbed his hand across his damaged armor.

  “Abel?”

  “Yes, Akio?”

  “Has Kenjii engaged the Clan members?”

  “Yes, he’s in the house now. I’m monitoring his communicator and tracking the four who departed.”

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Adequate. He’s impetuous and doesn’t employ sound tactics.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He demanded I deposit him at the door. I urged that he use stealth to approach the structure. I put him down out of sight of the occupants. Instead of approaching carefully, he rushed to the house and kicked in the door.”

  “Any problems inside?” Concern laced Akio’s voice.

  “No, even with his poor tactics, he’s doing well,” Able snipped.

  “Don’t be angry, Abel. I’m sure he’ll learn to value your input,” Akio encouraged.

  “I am incapable of being angry. Anger is not logical. I’m stating a fact. Kenjii should have taken my counsel.”

  Keep telling yourself that. “Thank you, Abel. I’m almost done here. Contact me if there are any changes.”

  “Affirmative.”

  Akio had a half-smile on his lips as he went in search of the Forsaken hiding below. Kenjii and Abel were both working toward the next level.

  The manor’s basement was a high-ceilinged open room that was the size of the house. Heavy rough-hewn beams supported the structure above, and oil lamps provided soft illumination throughout the space. The Forsaken he hunted was dressed in black leathers and had shoulder-length curly black hair pulled into a leather strip at the back of his head. He stood with his back to a corner and had three humans in front of him as shields.