Cairo Necropolis, Egypt 3:00pm
The packed streets of Cairo flowed beneath the Egyptian Air Force Blackhawk in a river of dirty browns and sand flecked concrete. The air convoy, made up of five Blackhawks and two ponderous Mi-8 transport helicopters, flew low over the city, causing many in the streets below to look up at the thundering aircraft in awe.
Sat in the command helicopter at the centre of the convoy, General Uberto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the hot desert sun beating down on them from above. Even with both cabin doors open and the helicopter's aging air conditioning on full blast, everyone was feeling the heat, even the native Egyptians on board. It was a mixed group that Uberto was observing, one of the first Ultra Vector forces on the continent. To his left was the current commander, General Abassi Ajamu, a leading member of the Nigerian Quick Response Force, or QRF, a thin and wiry older veteran, who was currently polishing a diamond tipped machete over his knees, every so often giving Uberto a tired smile. This was the first official Ultra Vector operation in Africa, but it wasn't the first engagement they had had. The man to Uberto's right, the imposing Colonel Mohammad Hassan of the Egyptian Unit 777, had filled the general in on the problems this unit had already faced.
As Staunton and the European Division had been storming Peles Castle, the African Division had received their 'baptism of fire' as many survivors called it, when their original base a few miles out from Johannesburg had come under attack by a coven calling themselves 'The Hounds of the Lord', a hundred strong force of crazed African vampires. They had come at night, easily destroying the defences still under construction and had run amok in the camp.
"It was hell." Was the only thing that most of the soldiers who survived said about it. Many had told Uberto about having to kill all their squad mates, after the vampires sought to 'convert' every human they could find.
One story though, stuck in the general's head. The story of how General Ajamu, heavy grenade launcher in one hand and 50 calibre customized FN-FAL in the other, drenched in the blood of his dead comrades, cut a swathe through the vampire horde. Everyone in the unit agreed that one moment had been the point when the general had snapped, when he had become quiet and reserved, when he had once been bombastic and larger than life. In a way Uberto identified with him, although the Nigerian had been able to keep his position, largely due to the fact most of the other African Division commanders had been killed in the attack.
This operation then, was payback, of sorts. Here, in Cairo's sprawling city cemetery and slum, known colloquially as the City of the Dead, they had received intelligence that the remains of the powerful Egyptian Coven were amassing their forces. Uberto wouldn't allow Cairo to go the same way as Volterra and Sinia, and this view was shared by the rest of the taskforce, who were also eager to hit back at the vampire race that had robbed their unit of many veteran soldiers.
As the helicopters continued to whir over the streets below, General Ajamu finally spoke, his voice level and quiet but filled with a clear authority which made every man go silent.
"Alright men, this is our payback." He said bluntly. "Johannesburg was a disaster, one I don't ever want to repeat and ,to that end, if we can get this job done, the rest will be easy to overcome."
As he said this the soldier sat next to him started passing around small photographs to each man, four for each, and he kept speaking as Uberto and the others studied the pictures.
"These are our targets. The priority is Amun, number one." He added, and Uberto flipped through to the first photo ,taken from afar by one of Ultra Vector's hidden scout units, , displaying a handsome middle aged Egyptian man with an impressive coal black beard and dark eyes, empty and pitiless.
"We take him down, the job is basically done." The general added. "But of course, there are others. Numbers two to four are Kebi, Tia and the last, and possibly most dangerous, Benjamin."
Uberto looked through the photos, as did every other man, committing them to memory. Kebi ,Amun's mate, according to the intelligence, was stunningly beautiful, with a wave of dark hair cascading around her shoulders, but with a face that was emotionless and pale. Her eyes conveyed less emotion than a psychopath's. Tia,on the other hand, although pale and with the same otherworldly look all the vampires had, seemed much less monstrous to Uberto, mainly because she looked similar to Uberto's own wife. Then again, Maria wasn't an undead monster, Uberto thought with a slight grin.
"Word from command is that the leader's mate, Kebi, could be a problem." Ajamu said softly. "Far as we can tell, she's completely devoted to him. Obsessed even. And obsession is a dangerous thing." He added darkly.
"Sir?" one of the other soldiers said firmly, raising a hand.
As the general nodded slowly, the burly Unit 777 operative spoke.
"Sir, what makes the fourth one…Benjamin, so dangerous?"
Ajamu sighed.
"Command didn't give us any specifics, but one of our forward scouts mentioned something about…sorcery was the only way he could describe it. There's some unnatural power behind that creature." He added with a grimace.
Each man nodded of them had lost friends and comrades to the vampires, and all were determined to get revenge for their fallen brethren.
"Anyway, enough with the briefing. Now for the actual plan." The general said shortly, as the helicopter began to descend and hover above a block of dilapidated flats, right in the heart of the Cairo Necropolis.
As he said this the sounds of the other helicopters stopping could be heard, as well as the distinct sound of men rappelling down to the streets below, shouted orders and clatters of weapons echoing in the streets below.
"As we speak, Squads Alpha to Echo is moving on the target's last known location, the tomb complex of the Kabir family, near the central Qaitbay Mosque. Once there their orders are simple. Kill every last vampire in the area. At the moment a cordon has been set up by the local police, so there should be no civilians within the area of operations."
Uberto frowned and interrupted.
"With all due respect general, I don't think those police will be able to stop any vampires from escaping."
Ajamu grinned.
"Well we had better hope my men hunt down every last one of them…"
It had been half an hour, and still no word on the operation beyond scattered reports from squad commanders, all negatives on finding any vampires. Colonel Hassan turned to Uberto.
"Is it normal for these operations to take this long ,general?"
Uberto frowned.
"My men never took this long, but they had had more experience in fighting these freaks. I guess it's just taking a while to hunt the bastardos down…"
The other soldier looked convinced, but Uberto was still uneasy, then his thoughts were interrupted by the crackle of the radio, which Hassan quickly grabbed the receiver for.
"This is command…" he began, but was cut off by the shouting voice on the other end.
"Command this is Captain Mbembe. We have a…"
The captain's voice was drowned out then as gunfire rattled out from all over the necropolis, echoing over the buildings around them.
"Captain, this is Command, please report!" Hassan demanded, but then there was an earsplitting crack over the radio, as if of bone, and the only response was a high pitched whine of static.
For a second there was silence, only the incessant burst of gunfire from below, then each one was being silenced, one by one.
Then it was complete chaos, Hassan practically screaming into the radio, the other soldiers preparing weapons and checking equipment, whilst Ajamu stood perfectly still by the open cabin doors, one hand holding onto a roof handle, the other holding his machete ,staring outside.
Then he was gone.
There was a dark blur and the general had disppeared, and by the time Uberto had realised what the general's mystery attacker was, it was far too late.
"Vampires!" he roared but then there was a crunch of metal from above, and the sound of the engines dying as dark figures were momentarily visible on the sides of the helicopter.
"Brace yourselves!" shouted a nearby soldier, moments before he fell out the sides, as the aircraft went into a spin toward the ground. The last Uberto saw were two more men being sucked out the side, the air full of screams and prayers as the helicopter plunged and then…
Silence.
The general slowly opened his eyes, aware of a sharp pain in his face, and of blacking out what felt like hours ago. As the colours around him swam into focus he saw Colonel Hassan standing over him, fist raised, which he quickly lowered as he saw the general awake.
"Sorry about that." He said with a weak grin. "Had to smack you around a bit before you woke up…"
Taking the proffered hand, Uberto stood up, feeling a stab of pain in every part of him.
"Nothings broken." Hassan stated bluntly. "At least, not yet…"
The general had no time to ponder what the colonel meant as he looked around at a scene of devastation.
The wrecked helicopter was nearby, lying at an impossible angle in the side of a building, painted with crimson and grey dust and concrete rubble. There were at least a dozen corpses laid around it, which the rest of the squad were setting into rows, before covering with crude shrouds made from ripped tarpaulins and bin bags, trying not to break down at the loss of so many of their comrades.
"How many?" Uberto said softly, as Hassan handed him a heavy automatic shotgun, loaded with explosive slug rounds.
"Ten." Hassan said softly. "Including the pilot. We couldn't find any sign of the general."
"So what's the plan then?"
Hassan smirked.
"Me? With all due respect general…"
"You know the terrain better than me colonel. What would you recommend?"
The colonel looked unsure for a second, then sighed as he looked up at the suspiciously empty skies above.
"Well it seems the vampires have taken out all our air units. I don't think we ever realised the bastards could jump that high…I don't think we have time to wait for an air evac from elsewhere either. We may have shaken off the ones who attacked us earlier ,but there must be others nearby."
Uberto laughed humourlessly.
"I guess this coven's bigger than just four vampires then?"
Hassan smirked slightly, but was soon serious again.
"Ok, our only option is to make for the police cordon and get reinforcements. We severely underestimated the enemy this time around. It'll take the full division to clear this nest of vipers…" he added as he loaded his M4 carbine with a grim smile.
And without another word the entire squad, the seven survivors of the helicopter squad, clutching their weapons to them, their black uniforms and armour battered and torn, ran into the silent maze beyond.
For five minutes the only sound in the City of the Dead was the survivors of the Ultra Vector force, seven bruised and injured human soldiers, panting and sweating as they ran onwards, until their leader, the red faced Hassan, suddenly held up a fist, the squad clattering to a halt behind him.
Uberto craned his eyes to the rooftops above, expecting a silent ambush at any point, his shotgun clenched in both hands.
"Where are…" he began, then stopped insatntly, as an inhuman howl pierced the afternoon quiet, echoeing across the empty slum.
As if in answer to the call, yet more shrieks sounded from all around, and every man in the squad was aiming outwards ,expecting an attack at any moment.
"What the hell are they doing?" said one South African commando, his R4 assault rifle held in unwavering hands.
"Hunting call." Uberto said firmly. "Trying to scare us."
"All the more reason to go now. They'll be on us in minutes." Hassan said firmly, and they set off at a run, Hassan and Uberto at the front, shadows already visible moving across the nearby rooftops.
Uberto was sweating underneath his body armour, shotgun heavy in his hands. He silently cursed the Secretary General for sending him here, cursed the UN for starting this crusade ,and of course the entire vampire race for continuing this madness.
The general was so busy cursing others that he failed to notice the shadows dropping around them as they emerged in a rubbish strewn marketplace, already filled with the corpses of previous Ultra Vector troops. First he knew of the vampires surrounding them was Hassan, his M4 gone and his Magnum drawn, machete in the other hand standing ready to face the enemy.
"Allah Akbar!" he roared as he took the head off a screaming vampire dressed in flowing rags with one shot, his diamond tipped machete piercing the skull of another, before three vampire women in threadbare dresses pulled him apart in a blast of crimson and one single piercing scream.
As one the rest of the squad rushed forward to avenge their leader, emptying bursts of automatic gunfire into the horde, tearing limbs off and blasting gaping bullet holes into the monster's skin. Uberto was amongst them, crouched in front of a howling Moroccan Marine, his RPK light machine gun spitting death as Uberto peppered the advancing vampires with explosive slugs and Italian curses.
And yet it just wasn't enough. For each crazed vampire they tore to shreds, more would come until suddenly, with no warning, the vampires retreated and the four surviving Ultra Vector soldiers looked on, wide eyed.
"What the…"Uberto began, having cast aside his now empty shotgun and drawn his Magnum, but was silenced, along with the others as, emerging from the gun smoke, came one figure that none of them would have ever wanted to encounter, and the sight of which promised nothing but swift death.
Spreading his arms wide in an almost friendly gesture, ignoring the weapons leveled at him, the figure then spoke.
"Miss me?"
Then Caius leapt forward, and tore them apart.