Chapter 3

A brisk Egyptian sandstorm tore at the ancient stone piles scattered around the Giza Plateau as it had for centuries; wind and sand slowly but deliberately erasing the magnificent, ancient structures that enthralled and mystified countless civilizations. The brutal, cleansing force of nature pounded all throughout the plateau, stripping the very life from some monuments while burying the rest in a sandy tomb. Despite the bright, midday sun, the great pyramids were shrouded in a brown veil of sand, forcing every living thing in the desert to seek shelter or face a sandblaster backed with 100 degree heat. Days like this were a testament to the strength of the pyramids, a nod to the ancient engineers and laborers who accomplished the impossible under impossible conditions. For thousands of years these vast pyramids withstood storms just like the one raging now; and though the elements had battered their walls, they succeeded in figuratively delivering their Pharaohs to immortality.

However, there was only one ancient pyramid in the Giza Plateau that actually did deliver its inhabitants to immortality, and its walls were still as smooth as freshly cut stone.

"Our time draws near," spoke a thin, raspy voice out of the darkness, barely audible over the storm raging outside.

"It would seem as such," came another voice in something resembling a hissing, cracked whisper.

"Holy smokes you guys, that wind is nasty out there! Makes you want to string up a slave girl to the temple, staple her eyelids open and watch the sand strip her eyeballs away."

Three individuals stepped from shadow into the flickering fire light of a stone chamber, and a dismayed silence ensued despite the angry sandstorm raging outside thecold walls. Two of them sported long, gray/white hair and thick, matching beards that attempted to hide smooth, pale gray skin. Pure black eyes were set deep into ghostly eye sockets that looked almost completely round; bony hands and arms extended from elaborate, renaissance robes of red and black silk, complemented by thin fingers wrapped with sparkling rings and jewels of similar colors.

"Heeth, must you insist on speaking so... human?"

The third individual looked to the other two, unsure of who had asked the question. Though his hair and eye color matched his companions, they shared little else. A white designer shirt and a pair of blue jeans covered a muscular build. Smooth, tan skin reflected the dim firelight of the chamber, and whereas the others looked lifeless, he was positively giddy at the thought of torture and at the same time visibly upset with his company.

"Ok... first of all, I am human. So are you. Second, my name is Tango now, 'k?" Been that way since the eighties... the ninteen eighties so get used to it. In fact, you two need new names; Rune and Acaine are so 15,000 years ago. I've got it; how about 'Keith' and 'Richard?' You know, kinda like Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones because let's face it; you two haven't aged well at all."

Acaine took a step closer to Heeth, eyes glowing orange as a small tremor of mystical anger shook the massive, magically invisible pyramid called Rah.

"You would be well as to respect the triumvirate," he seethed, speaking with his mind as well as his mouth.

"Oh please," returned Heeth nonchalantly. "Spare me the apocalyptic counsel. I think we know who has the power here. You two look like 10,000 year old walking corpses. You haven't left this temple since Cleopatra's rule. What good is immortality if you choose not to live?

"Infinite life allows for infinite time, infinite patience to wait for the right moment." This time it was Rune who spoke, eyes glowing similar to Acaine's but with less intensity. "You may be as immortal as we, but make no mistake of the power we command. You've wasted your energies on vanity and moral induldgence-"

"Wasted my power? I've been doing all the prep work here!"

Heeth's outburst brought forth a strong tremor of his own, causing dust and debris to stir in the broad, torchlit chamber. He waited for the dust to settle before continuing.

"While you two have been here 'preparing' for our coming, I've been the one out clearing the way. Don't forget, it was I who eliminated the Wolfram and Hart."

"And yet you couldn't eliminate the vampires..."

Once again, Heeth wasn't sure who spoke, but he wasn't going to let anything slide.

"Those two vampires were being held in a level 001 dimension. If you'd have stuck your heads outside this tomb in the last few thousand years, you'd know the Wolf, Ram and Hart created that dimension for the strongest of enemies and the worst kind of torture. Whatever those vampires are, they were strong enough to survive it, and that's why I kept them alive.I believe they can be of use to us."

"You presume to require assistance?"

Heeth's own eyes were now starting to glow, and a mystical tremor shook the ground yet again. The three had existed for thousands upon thousands of years, long outrunning the mortal coil which bound humans to a finite universe. And yet, even in such a span of time, patience was a skill Heeth never fully developed.

"I presume, you inept fool, to have as many options at our disposal as necessary. It is still possible for us to fail, and I intend to hold every ace."

"Hold every ace?" said Rune, who exchanged a confused look with Acaine.

Another human term I assume," he said, giving up on the meaning of Heeth's metaphor. "Regardless, we will not fail. Time as been our ally; the scales have tipped and the power of light is drawing to a close. Very soon now, there will be no force on this planet to stop us, and we can rightfully ascend to our destinies."

"Yeah yeah," said Heeth carelessly. "Whatever. When the time comes, rest assured, the triumvirate will eliminate the rest of the line and we will take our place as Gods of this planet once again. In the meantime, go back to building more pyramids or something; find some new followers to drain power from. Me, I'm going to go mess with these vampires a little more. Feed them some blood; see if I can actually get them to talk instead of the drooling babble they're doing now. And if I can't get anything useful from them, well hey, I think they actually have souls... that should make for a healthy power boost anyway. Kind of ironic if you think about it... sucking the soul from a Vampire. Think of it as bulking up the insurance policy."

Heeth could see in the faces of his triumvirate counterparts they had no idea what an insurance policy was. For some reason he took joy in their confusion as he walked between them and out the main chamber, suddenly very excited to conduct more experiments on his vampiric conquests from the great Wolfram and Hart. The two ensouled demons had proven quite surprising as vampires go, he was certain they could be very powerful weapons for their conquest. His mind was twisting in thought as he passed into darkness, and when only his silhouette was visible he stopped, turned around and asked one more question of his peers.

"By the way... aren't vampires supposed to burn up when sunlight hits them?"