Trinity Blood: Book 3: Vehemens Veritas
Chapter 22: Joy within the Impossible
New Human Empire, two and half months later:
"How is this fair?" Abel's shout of indignation was cut short as he was forced to flick up the tip of his black. The elegant sword clashed with Baybars' large one. "Oh, come on, its one against, what, thirty?"
"You shouldn't be complaining so much, Tovarish," Asthe called from the sidelines. "You don't see the yeniçeri complaining do you?"
Abel ignored her and with his free hand caught the yeniçeri who attacked from behind wrist. Twisting, he managed to throw the yeniçeri at Baybars. "What's the point to this anyways?" he asked, blocking several more swords with his. He wasn't really trying. This was more than likely apparent to the yeniçeri by the fact he was only using only one hand on his sword. The yeniçeri were pushed back several of them stumbled back while others seemed caught off guard by his strength.
"Because, brother, you spent two months recovering from those wounds pulse several centuries among terrans," Abel shot Seth a venomous look. She sat a small table with Asthe and Mirka, sipping at cup of tea. "I can't imagine you used a sword too often while among the terrans. You're a bit rusty." As she said this, several to the yeniçeri moved away, showing they had enough. Soon only Baybars remained. The Methuselah guard straightened and bowed, showing it was over.
"It was an honor to face off against the emperor," Baybars said.
"I'm not the emperor," Abel smiled to take the sting from his words and, holding the sword under handed, placed the flat of the blade against his shoulder blade before bowing slightly, "The honor was mine." Turning for Baybars, Abel sheathed the jeweled sword as he crossed over to Asthe and Seth. "Rusty am I, dear sister?" he grinned, ruffling her hair.
Seth glared up at him from under his hand. "Yes you are very rusty," she stated coolly. Tugging at his coat, she sighed, "You know you don't have to wear this old, ratty thing anymore, right?"
"I know," Abel sat down in the only remaining and picked up his now cold tea. The night was chilly but pleasantly so after that exercise. "But I would much rather not be seen as an emperor," he took a sip of the tea before he added, "it's bad enough you gave me this sword instead of a gun."
"Guns only slow down Methuselah and crusniks, brother, you can't tell me you haven't noticed this yet," Seth rolled her eyes, "you're just used to using them is all." Seth grinned and held up a finger, "Now before we had to your new rooms, there is something I kept forgetting to give back to you," Seth pushed an extremely old book across the table to Abel.
Frowning, Abel picked up the book and opened it. On the first page in a neat script Abel somehow recognized a note was written and signed: 'My son, I give you this book in the hopes you will find this challenge enjoyable. I noticed you have been switching your tests and Cain's, but don't worry I'm not about to tell the general or anyone your secret. Learning this language will provide a nice challenge to you even if it is no longer used. I know it will be awhile before you are able to read this note, but I wished for you to know no matter what the future holds for you I will do everything in my power to protect all four of you. You are the only children I can ever have and the only ones I can ever love as my own. Even if you never see me as your father, even if you hate humans, remember this: Never give into despair for one day all of our kind, especially you four, will be accepted. I love you, my son, Abel. Never forget and never give in. –Thomas.' Abel blinked. He remembered wanting to know what this note had said so many times as a child. After Thomas had vanished without a word he had given up on this book and kept it only as a remainder of the man. He'd completely forgotten this had been the book he'd given Seth on their way to Mars or that she'd never given it back.
"Thomas, eh?" Abel smiled at the message. "I forgot I had given you this book to learn Latin," he said sadly.
"Thomas? What does Doctor Thomas have to do with the book?" Seth asked in confusion. Abel held open the cover to her and she read it. "That sounds like him all right," Seth laughed. "'I believe in a world where all those like us will one day be accepted. Never give into despair, my children, for we will show humans we are not useless and we can live and live well,' remember when he used to tell us this?" Seth grinned. "I never understood it, though I was only eight at the time he vanished."
"Who is this Thomas you two are talking about?" Asthe looked between them in confusion as Seth passed back the book.
"Hmm," Seth looked thoughtfully at Abel, but Abel just looked back at her. He sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to give way the fact they had been created by science. "I guess in away he was our father, I barely remember him," Seth confessed. "I remember he was a lot like Lilith and later Abel, but other than this…" Seth flicked her wrist before her eyes widened. To Abel in a language only they now knew, she said, "Abel, what if dad still lived? If he was placed into cryo because his beliefs went against to UN or something? If he was still alive somehow and Cain learned of it, then Cain might have away to get a new body without the blueprints. Thomas was one of our creators and an enhanced human. He told us himself that he had our enhancements and 'blueprints' committed to memory."
"I doubt he still lives, Seth," Abel said with a slight sigh. "He was a human after all even if he aged close to how we used to. There is no way he would have survived Armageddon." Dad? Why had Seth called Thomas dad? "You said you wanted to show me the rooms," Abel said so Asthe could understand. He didn't want to think on Thomas right then, but he couldn't help but shudder at the idea of Cain getting a new body. Another feeling, one which scared him almost as much as the idea of Cain getting a new body, crept into him: hope. The feeling confused him as well. Why did he hope? Thomas had been a member of the UN, more than that, Thomas had been the person who had given Abel life, something he had hated having and still did.
"Right, come then," Seth jumped up, acting as if the years had melted from her. There was no hiding the look in her eye though as Abel stood as well. Asthe was only a heartbeat behind him, a look of complete annoyance on her features at being left out of yet another conversation. Following his sister back into the palace, Abel's mind wandered into the past.
November 5, 2110:
Where was he? Abel growled in annoyance. He'd nearly finished the book and wanted to speak with Thomas more than anything right then, but he couldn't find him. Passing a room, he glanced in and saw him there. "There you are," Abel meant to growl in annoyance, but halfway between forming the words and actually speaking his voice became excited. Racing into the room, Abel placed the book on the table before the tall man. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Thomas looked at Abel with his ever kind, light green eyes. His brown hair fell into his face in uneven strands with most of it pulled back and falling in waves just past his shoulders or over them. As always there was a look of dull pain reflected in Thomas' eyes. Despite the fact he had lived forty-eight long years Thomas didn't look a day over thirty-six. Over his green rimmed UN uniform he wore a traditional lab coat which hid the symbol of the organization Thomas disliked almost as much as Abel did.
"Now it couldn't have been everywhere if you only just found me, now can it, Abel?" Thomas asked patiently almost like a father would to their son. Abel rolled his eyes at the old man but couldn't hold back the smile from forming on his features. "Why were you looking for me?" Thomas gave Abel a kind smile which reminded him of Lilith's. "Even you couldn't have learned Latin in this amount of time."
"No not fully," Abel said, frowning. There was something off about Thomas. His eyes were glazed as if he really wasn't here at the moment. "I've gotten most of the way through it and the notes you gave me. I was just wondering why you thought Latin would be a good language for me to learn."
"If you can learn Latin then you can learn just about any language," Thomas ruffled Abel's already messy hair. Abel glared at Thomas, but for some reason he felt almost normal by this gesture. "Tell me, Abel, is it still your dream to be accepted by humans?"
"I don't know," Abel confessed with a heavy sigh. "You're really the only one who accepts us. With the way General Hall and Major Marry treat Lilith and Seth, I just don't think it's possible."
"It's only impossible if you give up so easily," Abel blinked and looked at Thomas. "People believed you, Lilith, and your siblings were impossible and yet here you are. Besides," bitterness crept into Thomas' voice, "General Hall and Major Marry both hate enhanced humans it doesn't matter who they are, if they were enhanced in anyway then they just hate them."
"Do they hate you as well?" Abel asked, revealing the fact he knew Thomas was enhanced. The man did an excellent job of hiding it from the rest of UN but the fact remained it was the only way Abel could think on why he said "our kind" or "us" and had been able to easily stop Cain and Abel's fights. "For that matter, how did you get into your position in the UN?" Abel asked, tilting his head to one side. "I thought enhanced humans were supposed to be closely watched and not permitted to gain power in any military, political, or scientific field."
Thomas sighed. "I managed to hide the fact I am enhanced from the UN," Thomas looked at the book his gaze distant. "If the UN ever discovered the truth I would be sentenced to death for getting as high in the scientific field as I have." He smiled at Abel, "I believe the risk has been well worth it. You, all four of you, have a destiny far more important than even the UN can imagine. You may have been created for a purpose, Abel, but in the years to come never forget you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. Whether it be learning a dead language or protecting those you care about, I know you can succeed."
"Why?" Abel asked bitterly, "Is it because I was created to?"
"Heavens no," Thomas shook his head. "It is who are here," Thomas pointed to Abel's heart, "and here," he pointed to Abel's head. "Science dictated what you look like, science can give life and form a person, but it can't give a person their personality. You decided who you are, Abel, not the UN and certainly not me. The years you have lived have held as much value to it as an ordinary person's no matter what people may think of you if the veritas ever became known."
"Veritas?" Abel blinked.
"Yes," Thomas smiled at him, "tell me, do you know the meaning behind the words Vehemens Veritas?"
"It translates to 'violent truth,' but how can the truth be violent?" confusion flooded Abel. Violent truth, what the hell was Thomas getting at? Couldn't the man speak straight for once in his life?
"The UN has built this project on lies," Thomas said, leaning forward, his voice barely more than as whisper. "If the truth of the four of you as well as the tests carried out on you and on all of the enhanced humans was ever made fully public the people would never stand for it. People only know you four were selected to lead and you somehow age more slowly than the average human. They know nothing more."
"Why would the UN hid it?" Abel asked, but he was already seeing why.
"You tell me," Thomas said a knowing gleam in his pale eyes.
"Knowledge is sometimes more powerful than military strength alone?" Abel asked uncertainly. Thomas bowed is head, showing Abel had gotten right. "How can knowledge be more powerful than military strength? I thought the point behind us was to create a stronger military bases encase war ever broke out."
"Yes and other nations have let leak some of the knowledge to civilian scientist. This means the United Nations isn't the only one trying to develop human weapons," Thomas explained. "If the UN allows too much of the knowledge they have into the general public they will lose their edge if war ever breaks out. For example if knowledge of the four of you came known the nations of the earth would want soldiers like you and war would break out. This is why the truth is violent and so closely guarded. This is why I call it vehemens veritas."
Abel's lips creased into a frown. "I'm not so certain I understand what you're saying," Abel slowly confessed. "Why would people kill to create more like the four of us or more like you or the others who have been enhanced?"
A soft laugh escaped Thomas as a breath. Placing his hand on Abel's head, Thomas smiled down at him, "You are still young, you needn't concern yourself with the why or what will, only with what is in the here now and that dream of yours. Focus on making it a reality." Thomas stood and Abel looked up at his lanky figure. "Promise me, Abel, you will watch after your sister and Lilith."
"You know I will," Abel snorted as if this had been obvious. He looked at the book then at Thomas, "Why are you asking this? You'll be able to see them today or tomorrow, won't you?"
"I fear I won't," Thomas confessed, looking away from Abel. "Farewell, Abel," he added in Latin, "Farewell, my son." With those words Thomas left Abel alone in the room. Son? Had Abel just misheard what Thomas had said? Surely yes. He was product of science, a person who had no parents. Did Thomas see Abel as a son because he had been head scientist or something?
Present day:
"Well, what do you think?" Seth asked, looking at Abel and grinning. Abel looked around the large entry way his lips twitching slightly as he tried to suppress the urge to scowl. It felt more like he'd walked into a mansion than anything else. Over the past two months he had told Seth repeatedly he was fine with his old rooms, but she'd told him those rooms where from the empire was still a poor nation which they no longer were. That is was unfitting for the emperor to live in such a place. "You don't need to look so horrified, dear brother," Seth giggled. "I know you're unused to such a living style, but the fact remains you're the emperor."
"I'm not—"
"—the emperor," Seth rolled her eyes at the ceiling, "so you keep saying. Asthe, do you think he's the emperor?"
"I think he's an idiot," stated Asthe from where she stood, leaning against one of the walls. "He's practically getting royal treatment and doesn't want it," she gave him a smile which was half a scowl.
"Yes, I'm such an idiot for thinking this is just ridicules," Abel grumbled. The sword and new clothes had been bad enough, now Seth wanted him to move into this mansion like place, it was ridicules. He looked at Seth, "Honestly, Seth, I—" he cut off at the look of mischief in Seth's eyes. "Am I missing something, sister?"
"No, not something, but someone," Seth grinned. "Wait here," she slipped away, vanishing up the stairs. Abel sighed heavily and looked around the white, marble hall. The walls were covered in lavish hangings and there were several paintings depicting anywhere from scenes from the Human-Methuselah War to peaceful forests, plains, and deserts. Abel's eyes locked one of the smaller paintings. He recognized the style and stared it for several long moments. It depicted Abel with a small, black haired boy, Aran, on his lap. The picture had been done by Lilith the second time Aran had followed Abel to his meeting with Lilith.
"Her Majesty, put a lot of work into this place," Abel didn't look away from the painting at Asthe's voice, "the least you could do is be grateful to her for even thinking of you. Honestly, you can be very ungrateful, Tovarish."
"It's not that I'm ungrateful, Asthe," Abel sighed, his eyes still on the painting, "it's just the fact returning home would mean I might have to return to the throne."
"What did you think would happen?" Asthe demanded. "That you'd be allowed to hide in the shadows as you've done for centuries," Abel finally looked at her. Despite the contempt in her voice she looked rather amused. "Her Majesty believes you're the rightful ruler," Asthe walked over to the picture depicting a white figure sitting aside a white stallion as it charged across open grounds. Behind the horse Methuselah dressed in heavy armor raced on foot or also on horse back. The two moons were visible in the background and the white figure and horse were highlighted so the eye was drawn to them first. "You might not be living up to what you were in history but I do see some of the leader you were nonetheless."
"Asthe—"
"Shut up, I'm trying to compliment you and it's hard without you interrupting," Asthe shot him a glare.
"Then, would it be all right if I interrupted?" Seth's voice came from the stairs. Abel turned and frowned at the bundle Seth held in her arms. The way the blanket was wrapped made it look as if she was carrying a baby.
"Of course, your Majesty," Asthe bowed slightly, horror on her face for at the mere thought of not letting Seth speak.
"All right then," Seth started down the last few steps, "brother, this part will only be if you're certain you're staying in the empire."
"If you keep asking me if I'm staying then I will leave," Abel joked. Seth glared at him. "What?"
"I was trying to be serious," Seth said coolly, "because if your answer in no I have to figure what to do with her."
"Her?" Abel asked, eyeing the bundle as Seth reached their floor and walked over to Abel. Sure enough just visible in the folds of the blanket was a rounded face. A small hand closed over to the blanket and a small, mouth moved as the baby shifted in Seth's arms.
"Yes, her," Seth's voice was exasperated and excited at the same moment, but Abel couldn't take his eyes from the child. She was beautiful and perfect in very way. Slowly Abel reached up, but hesitated. The memory of the children he'd killed making it hard for him to want to hold this precious bundle. "Go on, brother," Abel took the child in his arms and smiled down at her beautiful face, "she's your daughter if you stay here in the empire."
"Wha—" Abel looked sharply at Seth.
"Oh come on," Seth winked at him, her hands behind her head, "you think I hadn't noticed you mopping in Aran's room these past few months. I thought the best way for you to move on was to have another child in your life. Do you want her or not?"
"I," Abel was at a loss for words. Another child, could he bring himself to raise another only to out live her. Abel looked at the baby as she shifted in his arms, yawning and snuggling closer to his chest. One small hand reached up and took hold of his coat. "What happened to her parents?" Abel asked, feeling he had to know before accepting the responsibility of raising her. "And what is her name?"
"Her father left her mother when he learned she was a Methuselah, her mother died shortly after giving birth to her," Seth explained. "She's only a few days old and is still unnamed."
"Any relatives?" Abel asked.
"Nope," Seth said with a frown, "her mother was an only child and I doubt the father's family wouldn't be interested in taking her since he is an outsider and a terran. Her grandparents on her mother's side past away several years ago, so she really has no one."
"Then," Abel's eyes softened as he gently moved her hand back to the blankets, "I would be honored to raise her." Seth laughed and Abel briefly saw Asthe roll her eyes at the ceiling muttering something about Abel's stupidity or something like that.
"She'll need a name then," Asthe pointed out, "or we could all just call her Princess Nightlord, if you would rather." Abel chuckled, but couldn't help but smile as well. Joy was swelling in him, a child? It had been centuries since he'd even held one. He touched her face lightly. Another large yawn revealed the girl's gums, then slowly she opened her eyes, revealing dark aquamarine eyes which looked like jewels in the light of the hall. "Well, what are going to name her, Tovarish?"
"Elizabeth," Abel said after only a moments thought.
"WhyElizabeth? Isn't that a terran name?" asked Asthe who sounded highly confused.
"Many centuries ago, long before even I was born there was a queen ofAlbioncalled Elizabeth I, she was said to be a strong willed leader," Abel explained.
"Never heard of her," Asthe shrugged and Abel laughed softly, still looking at the newly namedElizabeth.
At this Seth laughed. "Are you naming her that becauseElizabethwas a strong queen or because she was—" Abel glared at his sister, scowling. "All right, all right,Elizabethit is, but I'm just going to call Eliza."
Abel smiled at his and then atElizabeth. "Thank you, Seth," he spoke softly, but meant the words with all his heart.
"You'll be cursing me when she starts to steal your sleep, brother," Seth laughed. "Don't forget babies cry a lot." Abel chuckled and shook his head, still grinning. The joy he felt was strong, far stronger than it had been in centuries.
xxx
Thomas frowned as he looked at the most recent sample of Cain's DNA Isaak had brought him. The dark haired man was going through the notes Thomas had jotted down while in the holding cell over the past several nights. "His DNA is too badly damaged," Thomas straightened, shaking his head. "There is no way to use to clone him and we don't have the resources necessary to start from scratch." What Cain was asking bordered on the impossible. "Even if we could clone him, his new body will be damaged as well," Thomas spoke more to himself, "more than likely paralyzed from waist down with some nerve damage at best."
"It will have to do," Isaak said coolly, pulling out a cigarillo and lighting it.
"No smoking in here, please," Thomas said without turning to the man, "you wouldn't want to compromise this, would you?" Isaak pressed the cigarillo into the table and Thomas shook his head.
Thomas had been working on this none stop ever since Cain had demanded it. At first he couldn't figure why Cain needed a new body, but the more time he spent studying cells of his son, he began to see why. Cain's current body was slowly falling apart. Isaak had managed to slow the process, but it wasn't permanent. It was actually amazing Cain could still move. By all rights he should have been in a state of paralysis if not dead. Then there were the blood samples Isaak had given him which showed nano-machines, ingrained so completely into the blood and even in the cells of Cain's skin, removing them would kill him.
"I need to take a look of Herr Cain," Thomas began with as much tactic as he could. Turning to Isaak, he explained, "If I could find the least compromised DNA, it would make so the clone will closer to how he originally was or if Abel were here—"
"Mein Herr is searching for Abel devising how to capture Abel as we speak," Isaak interrupted. "Once Abel is with us, Mein Herr will have no use for a new body," Thomas felt himself go cold at Isaak's words. Twins were close to clones, but Cain couldn't seriously be thinking of trying to take Abel's body. Moving the mind to a clone who had none was simple, but moving it into a twin's body which had a personality and mind of his own was impossible. It wasn't this which horrified Thomas though, Abel was also one his children, no matter how much he cared for Cain; he couldn't just standby and watch as Cain basically killed his twin brother.
"You can't be serious," Thomas leapt to his feet, fatigue and hunger forgotten. "Abel is his brother; he cared for Abel more than anything else in this world…" Isaak was smiling, "You can't—" Thomas' protest died in his throat at the sound of someone in the door and the sight of Isaak bowing.
"Can't, can't what?" asked a cheery voice. Thomas turned to see Cain walk into the room and look at the equipment which had been dragged out of storage and was being repaired slowly by Isaak. Every movement Cain made spoke of a coiled spirant ready to spring. Despite his cheery outer demeanor, there was something wicked lurking just out of sight. Thomas remembered vividly his son's eyes turning red and the vampire like features which had become dominate so quickly in Cain. Also despite the fact Cain was hovering in death's door, he radiated power which would have been unmatched by even the strongest enhanced human. It was just another reminder Cain was no longer human, but something more. A god as Isaak called it.
"I," Thomas swallowed, "I'm not so certain how well the clone will be," Thomas half lied. "If you would permit I would like to scan your body to see if there is some DNA which is in fairly good condition. It would make it so the – the clone would be better off." Cain tilted his head to one side, smiling at Thomas. His heart skipped a beat and mouth went dry. Cain was wearing only a short sleeved shirt and long black paints. He wore his plain boots but none of this hit his strong arms or the deadliness of his movements.
"All right," Cain shrugged, "I see no harm in doing so, what do you think, Isaak?" Cain looked at Isaak who looked at Cain thoughtfully.
"I don't know Mien Herr, he will need DNA which isn't as damaged as what he has," Isaak nodded finally; "I think it best, Mein Herr." Cain nodded happily before jumping up onto the table and sitting down before Thomas.
Swallowing his nerves, Thomas moved some of the equipment and began to run an old scanner over Cain. He would rather not poke him with a needle right then or act in anyway which would make Cain attack him. Data appeared on the old computer which Thomas and Isaak had gotten to work for this.
"My god," Thomas breathed in utter shock as he started nano-machines infused in every inch of Cain's body, they were activate, destroying the extremely damaged cells and replicating them to be slightly less damaged. Despite the fact the machines where really visible Thomas knew it had to be them. To most it just looked as if Cain was falling apart before healing at an alarming rate. "There," Thomas said, pointing at the screen at what looked to be some of least damaged genetic material.
When Thomas looked at Cain he tried not leap back in shock at Cain's face being less than an inch from his. Isaak moved so he was before Cain and wordlessly Cain allowed Isaak to remove his shirt. Carefully almost reverently Isaak removed drew the blood and part of the skin which Thomas had pointed to. Passing the genetic material to Thomas Isaak never once turned from Cain. Thomas shakily took it and moved away to look at it. He tried to ignore the fact Cain was watching him and just worked.
It was impossible, Thomas decided, to have such a recovery rate and to still have a body which was failing. It was impossible. He couldn't think on what could have done such damage to Cain. Then there were the two members of this group Thomas had met: Isaak and Dietrich, what was Cain doing with such people? For that matter what had his son become?
(Author's Note: I really hope I didn't wreck the story by introducing Thomas a fatherly figure of sorts to Abel and Seth.
On the uniform I have Thomas wearing. I sort of imagine command having the red rimmed like Cain's, security having the blue rimmed like Abel's, the scientist having green rimmed like Seth's, and medical yellow rimmed like Lilith's. I just thought it would make sense. Also right after the conversation with Abel in the flashback, Thomas was placed into cryo so he still the same age.
Yep, the reason the book is titled such is starting to become clear. It wasn't as obvious as it was in The Winter Rose, but hey it is more obvious why it is titled such than Divergent Path was.
There is a picture now up on my Deviant Art account (flame800900) of the Hall brothers as well as some of their back-story.
I really appreciate all the comments I have been getting. Even if I don't respond to them do know I read them and will reread them over and over. Reading reviews and comments make my day.)