DEMON'S VENOM: PERU, LIMA - THE FORT: 17 NOV 2013
While Namla and Sah-him were back at the Fort. Hamsa was alerted to an emergency. The emergency had urgency. An identified evil source had found a magic user and was using them to escalate their evil.
The report came from al Akhtabut. He was overseeing the League operations in Uruguay. An International Drug Lord by the name of Franco 'Frank' Sanchez was monitored by the League. However, he was also being monitored by outside law enforcement agencies. The League didn't feel the need to get too involved in this source of evil. It was well within the abilities of the outside world to contain this evil. Akhtabut would assist them as needed.
That changed when Frank Sanchez discovered magic. He discovered a hedge witch, named Yadira. Yadira possessed magic. She refused to work with Sanchez. He executed Yadira because he could not control her. He took her niece into his fortress. He wanted to use the girl's magic. Specifically, divination and precognition. Frank thought he could manipulate the untrained girl where her mentor refused. The girl's gift was unreliable. But she did possess divination and precognition. Without additional training, she would not gain any additional ability or reliability in her skills.
Using her gifts, Sanchez had uncovered an undercover MI6 agent hiding in his organization. Akhtabut was able to assist MI6 in extracting their agent. But Frank was vindictive. He tracked the man down to the UK. He tortured the agent and his wife for hours. Frank left the agent for dead in England. The agent, Felix Leiter, was now crippled for life.
Magic made Frank Sanchez a League problem. The League needed to move quickly to eliminate this evil source. Once he had this report, Hamsa called a meeting with all available Demon's Venom members that were not actively hunting.
"We cannot wait for any more the Venom to arrive," Hamsa declared as he stalked the front of the Meeting Room. "Who all is here?" he asked.
"We are four Qayid strong," Haraq replied.
"We are four Barkih strong," Najwa replied.
"We are four Wahy strong," Namla replied.
"Which leaves eight Majahid and Eadi," Hamsa finished, nodding at the remaining Shadow Warriors. "We cannot wait for the Ravens or Hasub. We know that Sanchez has a mage. A diviner. Untrained. We need to extract her."
"It will be a high-risk mission," Najwa replied. "There is the possibility that the diviner can see the possibility of the mission."
"It is also possible that the diviner can see who is coming for Sanchez," Haraq told him. "We cannot allow that."
"Everyone here is fluent in English, correct?" Namla asked the members of the Demon's Venom present.
"They are," Hamsa replied. As most of the League members present nodded.
"Then I recommend that we present ourselves as MI6," Namla told the assembled group. "MI6 already have a grievance with Sanchez. If we use only English and our Anglicized versions of our names, they will appear as MI6 codenames."
"I like this approach," Hamsa replied. "Sanchez is new to magic. He will believe in the outside world far easier than the League."
"For the high-risk mission, a distraction at the same time as the mission would reduce the risk," Sah-him said. "The divination will show the larger action. It needs to be something that Sanchez would need to pay attention to… say, an attack on his facilities… the docks… the production plant… something he valued… something like that," he added.
"Yes," Azhar said. "His diviner would likely see the planning of the attack on the major facility and not the extraction. What do we know about this drug lord?" he asked Akhtabut.
"Most of his cocaine production is in or around Isthmus City in Uruguay," Akhtabut recited. "He is highly intelligent and has found a way to ship cocaine in gasoline so that it remains undetected when it reaches its destination. He is paranoid and values loyalty. His use of a diviner has been to find traitors."
"Very sore loser," Sah-him said with a grin. "If his cocaine is in gasoline, and he ships it in tanker ships… it makes a perfect target for our first strike. Very vulnerable and highly combustible."
"I agree," Hamsa said. "We will gather intelligence while we travel. I want to have a small strike team of two Barkih and one Wahy to remove the diviner. Dart her unconscious and remove her from the facility. Once she is safely removed. We will make further plans."
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S VENOM: URUGUAY, ISTHMUS CITY - DOCK: 19 NOV 2013
The two Barkih and Namla departed at the airport. Hamsa told them they would begin their attack on the docks at sunset.
The Venom gathered on the roof that overlooked the dock loading area. The large gasoline-cocaine mixture holding tanks were surrounded by high fences with an electrical charge. Patrols roved the grounds under the large industrial facilities. Four large tanker ships were docked near the holding tanks. The attached pipes showed that two were currently being filled.
"The best point of entry is there," Hamsa pointed to the pipeline entering the fenced-in area. The electrical fence gave the gasoline pipeline several feet of clearance to ensure that no charge reached to the pipe. "The fence there is plastic and carries no charge. Once inside, climb and disperse to your targets. I will stay here with Phoenix. Anyone inside the fence is fair game, but the Oracles will tell you who is too corrupt to live."
"It will be done," the rest of the Venom stated quietly before they departed for the pipeline.
Sah-him was the Wahy for his strike team. There were three strike teams on this mission. Alpha, Beta, and Charlie. Sah-him was on Strike Team Charlie.
Sah-him's team leader was Latif. Latif was a large man with a strong personality but was a gentle soul. He could easily strike down those who would do evil, but waited until they showed themselves as evil before acting. He was deadly with throwing knives. His marks seldom realized that they were dead before they fell.
Strike Team Charlie quickly placed the charges on the tanks where they were their weakest. The pressure valves. They were able to move above the roving patrols without the guards glancing upward once. Sah-him made sure to work with his Inner Eye open. He needed to see the auras of the guards below the Strike Team. He could also notice the auras of the other Strike Teams.
"Gentle," Sah-him called quietly. "That patrol has two evil men beyond redemption. The first one and the one directly behind him."
"Got them, Arrow," Latif replied quietly. He moved into position. "The others?" he asked.
"Dark," Sah-him replied. "With effort, they can be redeemed."
"Take them all," Latif replied to his team. "We can't afford for them to alert the others."
The Strike Team took the patrol out. Sah-him hit the ground to retrieved the arrows. He slit the necks of those that were still alive. Then he returned to the shadows of the holding tanks. Strike Team Charlie silently slipped out of the dock area and returned to where Hamsa waited.
"Whisper," Latif announced himself. "Charlie has completed its assigned task."
"Good," Hamsa replied. "Alpha has already returned. We are only waiting on Beta before detonation."
"We are here," Haraq said as he approached. "We were slightly delayed by a patrol. They bother us no more. Beta has completed its assigned task."
"Excellent, Burn," Hamsa said with a smile. "Detonate charges," he ordered his team leaders.
The three team leaders triggered their charges one after the other. Tayir Alfiniq was sitting in the lotus position and staring at the fireball that now enveloped the docks. His eyes glowed with white light as his magic was triggered.
Tayir's main magical gift was pyrokinesis. The first time it had manifested, it had led to the death of his family during an explosion in his neighborhood. Terrorists had set the bomb off not caring about the neighborhood it was in. Tayir's mother had shielded his body from the shrapnel with her own. His gift had shielded them from the flames of the explosion. Controlled it. When he realized that his mother had died protecting him. The flames had intensified with his grief. The whole neighborhood had burned to the ground. He snuffed out the flames in horror at his actions.
It was this trauma that brought him to the attention of the League in his city. They found him and offered him a way to control his magic. His gift. They told him that he was not cursed. They led him to the Demon's Venom and training in his rare magical gift of pyrokinesis. The ability to control flames through magic.
As the docks burned, Tayir controlled the flames. He intensified them. He had them burn hotter and consume the metals in the tank area. He ensured the fire spread to all parts of Sanchez's operations on the docks. Ensured that the fire spread to the adjacent tankers. But he also made sure that the fire stayed contained. The fire never left the docks or the docked tanker ships. It left the small, combustible shanty town on the other side of the fence untouched.
An hour later, Tayir released his hold of the flames and stuffed out the fires nearest the fence. Then he sagged in exhaustion.
"It is done," Tayir said in exhaustion.
"You did very well, Phoenix," Hamsa said with a soft pat on his shoulder. "Arrow, help Phoenix back to our lodging."
"It will be done," Sah-him replied. He was already reaching down to give his fellow Apprentice a hand up. Tayir looked exhausted.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S VENOM: URUGUAY, ISTHMUS CITY - LEAGUE SAFE HOUSE: 19 NOV 2013
Once the League had reached their lodging in Isthmus City, they found that Azhar, Najwa, and Namla had been successful. They had extracted the diviner. The young girl looked terrified.
=This is Whisper, Dalia,= Najwa introduced Hamsa to the girl in Spanish. =He is here to ensure that Sanchez cannot hurt anyone ever again.=
=Secret,= Dalia said with fear in her eyes, =I'm afraid.=
=We will not harm you, Dalia,= Hamsa told her. =Sanchez used you for his evil deeds. We will put an end to his evil deeds.=
=He… he killed Yadira,= Dalia sobbed as she held on to Najwa and cried her eyes out.
=Yadira was your teacher? Your mentor?= Hamsa asked the girl. She looked to be nearly eighteen years old.
=My aunt,= Dalia sobbed. =My mother trusted Yadira to care for me when I started to show the gift. But now… all because of…=
=It is not your fault, Dalia,= Najwa told her. =You cannot be held responsible for the deeds of evil men.=
When young Dalia had cried herself to sleep, the rest of the League had gathered around to plan their next steps. They had the diviner. It was time to plan. The lack of a plan had been safety control while Sanchez had a diviner. Now, there was no way for Dalia to see anything for Sanchez.
"The dock was holding and at least four of the tanker ships. All were damaged beyond use at the docks. The storage tankers were also destroyed," Hamsa reported to the group. "I want to keep the groups as small Strike Teams. I will add a Delta Strike Team. One oracle and one mage with three warriors. Alpha you can stay the same. Beta, you will need to swap one warrior for Flower. Charlie, you will need to swap one warrior for Secret. I will lead Delta with Ant and Phoenix and the remaining two warriors."
"What targets do you want to hit?" Haraq asked.
"Not the Citadel," Najwa replied. "Right now, it is too heavily guarded. We need to bleed him."
"Isthmus City has many of his operations," Sah-him replied. "His plantations are around the city. His processing plants are in the city. I bet even his mixing plants are in the city."
"He owns the city government," Hamsa replied. "I would like one team to start examining those members in official positions and eliminate them. Mayor, City Council, Police Commissioner, Police, etc."
"Alpha can take those," Akhtabut said.
"Then tomorrow, Beta, Charlie, and Delta will hit the Cocoa fields," Hamsa said. "One team for each side of the city. Dart the workers and guards. The oracle will tell you who is beyond redemption. We will look for you after dark."
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S VENOM: URUGUAY, ISTHMUS CITY - FIELDS: 20 NOV 2013
On the second day, in the morning, Strike Team Charlie was up and out the door well before the city rose for the day. They had made it to their designated Cocoa field and easily scouted the entire area before the workers and the guards had shown up to work that day.
When the guards finally arrived, they never made it out of their staging area before all of them were darted and fell to the ground. Sah-him opened his Inner Eye and examined the guards and the workers.
"These two guards and this worker," Sah-him told his fellows. "The other guards can be redeemed. The other workers are not evil at all. That one is a sexual predator and darkly evil."
"It will be done, Arrow," Latif replied. He drew his favorite knife and slit the throat of the worker first. He despised sexual predators. Then he killed the two guards. "Drag the remaining men some distance from the fields. Then we can begin to coat the plants in gasoline."
Within a short time, the rest of the Strike Team was pouring gasoline over all the cocoa plants. They made sure to soak the roots and allow any runoff to flow down the channels to collect in pools of gasoline.
Their work took them the rest of the day. Hauling the gasoline cans one gallon at a time to soak each plant was time-consuming. But every cocoa plant was doused and poisoned with gasoline. With the last plant soaked, they lit the gasoline on fire and left the field to burn to ash.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S VENOM: URUGUAY, ISTHMUS CITY - PROCESSING PLANT: 21 NOV 2013
On the third day, Strike Team Charlie targeted one of the many cocaine processing plants within Isthmus City. The building was a bland warehouse building with too much security in place on it. Its only windows were high on its cement walls and open for ventilation.
Sanchez thought that he was being smart by limiting the entrances and exits to the facility. All of which were heavily guarded and secured with cameras and other redundant features. However, Uruguay was a very humid country along the coast in a jungle. Sanchez wanted to limit his costs. To this end, he ventilated his facility by using open windows instead of electricity. Power costs money. Money was overhead.
The open windows were not a valid point of entry for any normal group or organization. But the League was not a normal group or organization. It was trained to remain undisclosed by normal human eyes. The League trained them to use these entries for the very purpose of remaining undisclosed. The entire Strike Team crept into the facility using the open windows and climbed onto the rafters over the catwalk.
The inside of the warehouse was open. There were a few enclosed office spaces on one side. But most of the floor space was taken up by tables where the cocoa leaves were processed to a fine powder. Workers in masks were diligently working at their various work stations processing the plants into the fine drug. The guards walked along the catwalk observing the workers as they went about their tasks.
Once all of Strike Team Charlie was in place, they quickly darted all the guards and then the workers on the main floor. Latif quickly dropped to the main floor to examine the offices and dart the few workers who had escaped their net.
"That is all of them, Arrow," Latif told him.
"Good," Sah-him replied. He opened his Inner Eye and examined all the guards and the workers. "This guard and that guard," Sah-him said before he went to examine the workers and then the ones in the offices. "And this man," Sah-him said while looking at the plant manager.
The rest of the Strike Team eliminated those men.
"Take the rest outside," Latif ordered. "Burn the facility."
"It will be done," the team responded.
The Strike Team moved to obey.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S VENOM: URUGUAY, ISTHMUS CITY - LEAGUE SAFE HOUSE: 21 NOV 2013
That night the Venom had gathered at their lodging. Hamsa was smiling.
"We have done well," Hamsa told them. "Sanchez has started to withdraw all of his men from within Isthmus City to his Citadel."
"He is trying to fortify it," Najwa replied. One of her gifts was divination. But her gift was trained and refined.
"He is bullying his men with fear and death," Hamsa told her. "He has killed two dozen of his men for failing him in the last two days. He is bleeding himself." They had reports of how Sanchez had reacted to the destruction of his cocoa fields and his facilities in the city. Most of the guards who survived the League were killed by Sanchez.
"What move do you want to make next?" Namla asked.
"I want all of you to rest tomorrow," Hamsa replied. "At sunset, we will attack in force at the citadel. We will finalize our plan tomorrow. But I do not plan on attacking through the front door," he said with a grin. "The citadel is surrounded by a high wall on the land side. But the water side is exposed. He plans to use it as an escape. I plan to use his escape to enter."
"How do you plan to do that?" Akhtabut asked. "He has an army inside those walls. He will see us coming."
"Sanchez has used magic," Hamsa said. "But he is not a believer. I will use a mage to divert his attention. Two mages will assist us in crossing over the water without his vision focused on it. Young Phoenix will blast his fortress inside his walls. He will make sure to burn it to the ground. All while my warriors silently kill his men from behind."
"Then we will need our rest," Najwa told him. "Especially you, young Phoenix. You did well on the docks. You will do well again tomorrow night."
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S VENOM: URUGUAY, ISTHMUS CITY - CITADEL: 22 NOV 2013
At sunset on the fourth day, all the Demon's Venom, except Fatih and one Shadow Warrior to guard the mage, had gathered on the bank across from the citadel. The citadel was situated at the end of a wide river. The approaches from the land were well-defended and buttressed with heavily fortified walls. The river was swift as it entered the ocean and deadly to attempt to swim. High stone walls kept the ocean and river from undercutting the citadel.
It was a very defensible position. Except for magic.
Hamsa gathered the group of Venom just out of sight of the citadel. "You all know the plan. You all know your parts. Remove the evil source the first chance you get. May the Source guide you all," Hamsa told them one last time before they broke into their assigned places.
On the land side, Fatih was already in a sheltered position where he could see the entire open field before the citadel. He ground and centered himself. His magic was not as great as some of the others, but he had learned to expand that small gift. He had perfected it. His illusions had grown and could fool most people until they physically touched them.
As the sun set in the West, he allowed the sound of trucks and tanks to break through the evening air. He heard shouts in the distance. He allowed his illusions to finally break through the trees as the British Army rolled into view. He allowed rows of armored vehicles to fill up the entire clearing. Before an officious gentleman strode to the front with a megaphone and started to speak.
"By order of Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of England, the criminal known as Franco 'Frank' Sanchez is to give up himself and any known associates into lawful custody for the murder of Mrs. Della Churchill, a citizen of the United Kingdom. He is further wanted in connection to the assault and battery of MI6 Agent Felix Leiter, also of the United Kingdom, while the Agent was on vacation at his home in London," the voice rang out in strong British tones. "You have ten minutes to comply or we will open fire on this facility."
The response from the citadel was the sound of weapons fire. Fatih had his illusion duck behind cover and respond in kind. He added the sound of near-miss bullets to the men on the wall as well. This gave his illusions an additional sense of realism.
The rest of the Demon's Venom could hear the start of gunfire in the distance.
"The illusion has begun," Hamsa said. He gestured to Najwa and Azhar. "Now."
Azhar and Najwa knelt in a protected position close to the raging river below. The rest of the Venom gathered in the shadows close by. They would need to sprint across the energy construct as soon as the mages had finished their work. They prepared their weapons and waited. Soon they saw the edges of the energy bridge begin to form. Almost as quickly, it disappeared into a translucent haze as the invisibility spell covered it.
Hamsa ran forward and marked where the edges began in the sand. He lay down in the sand to wait for the signal to go.
"Go," Najwa said clearly from her position. The ability to cast the invisibility spell was another of her gifts. Her strongest. It was the source of her name.
Hamsa sprang up and sprinted across the invisible bridge with the rest of the Venom behind him. He was not able to see the bridge until he was on it. Once he was on it, he increased his pace. He was on the other side of the river and racing for the boat shed with the rest of the Venom behind him. The shed was their point of entry. From the boat shed, they would have access to the rest of Frank Sanchez's citadel.
Sah-him reached the boat shed. He heard the distant sound of gunfire on the far side of the citadel. He slowed and crept into the boat shed with his bow drawn. The two Shadow Warriors ahead of him were already on the small boats and attaching the small bomb to the engines. He exited the shed to the main compound. He could see the backs of some of the enemies on the walls. They were shooting at the illusions created by Fatih. He found a covered position and started to pick them off with kill shots. His accuracy displayed his pinpoint precision with the bow.
Their fellow defenders never doubted why the men standing next to them fell to enemy fire. They assumed the illusions in front of them killing their fellows. They could hear the bullets as they whizzed past their heads. They could not hear the arrows as they were struck from behind. They just redoubled their efforts to kill the illusions in front of them.
Tayir Alfiniq sheltered next to him. "Cover me, Arrow," he said right before he dropped to one knee behind Sah-him. His eyes were on the fortress. The fortress was a large stone and wood monstrosity before him. Tayir focused all his energy and his anger then he pushed with both hands at the fortress.
A ball of energy burst from his hands and flew towards the fortress. It struck the wall and destroyed the stones before shattering the wall and setting the whole thing on fire. Sah-him could even see that the further wall behind this one had also broken. Flames lashed out of the top of the gaping hole. Tayir sank to both knees as he motioned with his hands. The flames began to grow as he controlled the fire inside the fortress.
Sah-him watched as a man stumbled out of the hole in the ruined wall. He shot him with his bow. The man fell with an arrow in his chest. Sah-him stalked forward. If there is one, there are more. He noticed movement in the darkness beyond the hole.
Sah-him ran through the hole and shot at the movement twice before ducking behind cover to avoid the returning gunfire. He could hear the wet sound of his arrows striking flesh. He felt a burning in his leg and arm. He spared a glance to see that bullets had pierced his armor below the thigh padding on his leg and above his upper arm guard. Shit! That makes drawing the bow risky. He tucked the bow into its holder on his back and drew his sword and knife. They would be more accurate in this confined environment.
Sah-him silently limped from cover to cover in the darkness of the room. One man was still alive and hiding himself. That man kept shooting randomly all around the room. None of the shots were close to Sah-him. But the flashes of light let him know that at least one other person alive that needed to die.
Sah-him crept from shadow to shadow. He found two others hiding in the room. They hid poorly. They died silently. He was slowly working his way closer to the source of gunfire. More Shadow Warriors approached the hole in the wall. The shooting shadow taunted them from his hiding place.
"Aren't you going to fight me like a man?" the shadow yelled at them as he shot at them through the hole in the wall. The Shadow Warriors ducked out of sight.
"You mean like you?" Sah-him asked him from his place inside the room. He was getting closer to the flashes. He took a risk and bet that the man was this drug lord, Frank Sanchez. The man was a poor loser. Time to goad him into making a mistake. "Behind an army you bought? Protected by a government you bought? Hiding in the dark like a frightened child?" Sah-him asked sarcastically.
"You don't know me?" Frank screamed at him in rage. "How dare you!"
"I have been given a duty," Sah-him replied. "It's nothing personal. It's just my job."
"Your job?" Frank replied in confusion. "I can pay you more. I can pay better than any job. I can pay better than anyone else. Name your price?" he said.
Sah-him chuckled. "I have already sworn my oath," he replied. He could see better now. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He was close to the man now. "I will not sell my soul."
"Oaths can be broken," Frank replied. "What is a soul worth?" he asked.
"Everything!" Sah-him replied grimly. "It is time." He silently moved behind Frank. He was certain now that Frank was the evil source. Sah-him's arrows had pierced the man in the stomach and leg. That is why Frank wedged himself in this hiding space. But he left his back open. He assumed no one could sneak behind him. Bad mistake, Frank.
"Time for what?" Frank asked as he scanned the darkness where Sah-him's voice last spoke.
Sah-him didn't reply verbally. He silently crept behind the shadowy form of Frank Sanchez. He pulled his knife across Frank's throat. The blade slid cleanly across his throat severing his vocal cords and both his arteries. "It is time to replace evil with death," he whispered into Frank's ear from his spot behind him. Frank tried to stop the blood from gushing out of his throat.
In Frank's last conscious thought, he tried to raise his gun. Sah-him's sword sliced his hand off at his wrist before he could raise it more than a few inches off the ground. The light slowly faded from Frank's eyes as his blood gushed out of his throat.
Sah-him felt his leg finally give under him. He gently set himself down next to Frank's body. He took a few deep breaths and then cleaned his knife and put it away. Then he cleaned his sword and sheathed it.
Namla crept into the hole in the wall and found Sah-him. "The rest have been dealt with," he told him. He looked down at Frank. "One less evil source. Come," he told Sah-him.
"I need some help," Sah-him replied. His leg was still giving him some issues.
Namla nodded and helped him to rise. He supported Sah-him and helped him walk out of the hole in the wall. "We will bind your wounds and return to the Fort," he told him.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S SPINE: ZANDIA - CULT OF BLOOD HEADQUARTERS: 22 NOV 2013
Qadar tried to blend in with the other members of the Cult of Blood as they surrounded the central throne for Father Blood. The League had infiltrated Zandia as a large group. Qadar was not leading this hunt. It was only an information gathering hunt. Fayr wanted Qadar to experience how the other classifications within the League interacted with the Qayid. She also wanted him to watch the Qayid. Another form of leadership for Qadar to follow.
The reason Qadar was in the Throne Room for Father Blood was because he was one of four native English speakers. One was a Wahy. One was a Raven. The other two were just supposed to the Raven in collecting intelligence. Qadar was one of those two. The Cult of Blood was one of the few organizations that the Raven had no Alfaar. The loyalty of the Cult membership was renowned.
"Children," Father Blood called the room to attention. The man looked young. He looked like he was in his late twenties. But Qadar had learned that Father Blood was actually seventy years old. He used blood magic to give him the appearance of youth. "Bring forth my offspring," he called out.
Qadar turned to face where a group of people were led into the Throne Room. Men and women of varying ages. The older people were all women. The younger people looked confused and scared. They stuck by one of the older women. The Cult made room before the Throne for the group.
A Cult member stood to one side of the group. "Your children, Father Blood. They have been tested. All are of your bloodline," the man said. He had a fanatical gleam in his eye. He turned his gaze to the first of the older women. "Speak woman," he ordered.
The woman introduced herself. She fell to her knees and begged Father Blood for the life of her daughter. Each of the older women were the mothers of the young people next to them. The last woman dropped to her knees and pulled her son down with her.
"Father Blood," the woman started. "I was known here as Maya Borros. I fled to ensure my son's safety," Maya said contritely. "I ensured the curse was circumvented. The man I married to raise Sebastian was hard. Abusive. My son killed that man. He has grown into his powers. The bloodline is strong with my son."
Sebastian, the young man next to her, was looking at his mother in shock. He had just learned that the man he killed was not his real father. That Father Blood was.
"You have done well, Sister," Father Blood's voice broke over the group. "Sebastian and Georgina will be allowed to continue the bloodline."
At his words, the Cult members surged forward to seize the young and old in the group then led out of the Throne Room. Only four were left before Father Blood.
"Georgina will be educated in the ways of the bloodline," Father Blood decreed. Georgina and her mother were pulled out of the Throne Room. "Sebastian, you will need to learn about your bloodline and our faith. Then I want you to spread the word of our faith to your current home. To allow our people to grow," Father Blood ordered.
Sebastian looked up with a calculating look in his eye. "Father Blood, how will I do that?" he asked. He was not asking disrespectfully. But his political training took over. He knelt proudly before Father Blood. "I am currently in the employ of the city government. I have a large following of interested residents of the area I represent. How can I further the goals of our people?" he asked. He still had not identified himself as a member of Zandia yet. But he knew how to motivate opposition. He considered himself in opposition to Father Blood. He needed to use his wits to escape with his mother.
Father Blood smiled. "Yes. I can see the gifts of our bloodline shine in you," he said cryptically. "Learn of our Church. Show your followers the light of our church. That will expand our people to your home. Lead them, as is only proper for one of our bloodline."
Sebastian looked around the room and made note of all the members of the Cult and their fanatical obsession with Father Blood. He forced a smile. "Yes," he finally said. "I can do that. Freedom of Religion is a cornerstone in American society."
"See that my son is given the schooling he needs to become Brother Blood," Father Blood ordered members of his Cult. "Sebastian, I welcome you to my family."
"Thank you," Sebastian said as he rose. He helped his mother to stand.
His mother was beaming at Father Blood. She turned with the cult members and ushered Sebastian out of the Throne Room. Father Blood left soon after and the Cult members dispersed. Qadar slowly made his way out of the compound for the Cult. He was careful as he made his way through the countryside. To ensure he was not followed. He finally made it to the League Safe House in Zandia.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S SPINE: ZANDIA – LEAGUE SAFE HOUSE: 23 NOV 2013
Qadar was one of the last to arrive at the League Safe House in Zandia. The Safe House was usually left alone. It was bare and spartan for a League Safe House. It was hidden well and only knowledge of the League would lead to an entrance. The League could not afford to let any of the fanatical Zandians discover this Safe House. That was why it was stripped bare.
"Good. You are all here," Qirsh started the meeting of the assembled hunting party. "Qata, were you able to deploy the new virus from the Horn at the Cult compound?" he asked.
"I was, Fasir," Qata responded instantly. "While Father Blood had called all the Cult members to the Throne Room. I was able to infiltrate the building and deploy the virus on all of their electronic equipment. Unfortunately, Father Blood does not allow any electronic media in the Throne Room."
"Counter measures were deployed for that meeting," Qirsh turned to one of his Ravens. "Saqr, were you able to gain new intel?" he asked.
"I did," Saqr replied. "I still think that it is too dangerous for a Raven to be stationed here in Zandia, but I was able to get a blood profile for Father Blood and his children. This will help us to identify those in his bloodline in the future." He paused. "I need to inform the Shadows that the Cult of Blood has expanded beyond the boundaries of Zandia. Several of those women… the mothers… were from auxiliary cults in other countries."
"See to it," Qirsh said with a sad nod. "With the blood identifiers, we may be able to eliminate his bloodline outside of Zandia. Tell me what happened in the meeting," Qirsh ordered as he turned to the other three that were present at the meeting.
Qadar stepped forward. He was the highest ranked of the other English speakers from the Throne Room. "Father Blood used this meeting to examine his children. The ones that had come of age. He eliminated all but two. One was a woman. One was a man," he reported what he had heard. "The woman was to be trained the in the ways of the cult. I believe it is to assist in expanding their operations worldwide. The man is American. He was charged with starting the cult in his American city."
"Father Blood is confirmed as an evil source," Sueud reported. He was the Wahy that was accompanying the hunt. He had been in the Throne Room with Qadar. "His aura is very dark. Most of the cult showed signs of influence. Only Father Blood's closest were too dark for redemption. I wrote their names down. If they show up outside of Zandia, they should be eliminated." Sueud paused. "The male child was already showing darkness. But he is not yet unredeemable."
"The male child is of the bloodline," Fadi added. "Even if he can return to balance, his bloodline curse will drive him to evil." Fadi smiled. "I was standing next to a chatty Cultist. They were obsessed with the curse, the bloodline, and the gifts of the bloodline. I will relay that information in my report."
"I would like a copy of that report," Saqr pipped up. "I will ensure it is forwarded to the Shadows with the blood profile."
"Fasir," Muwmin addressed. "I was able to locate Christ's Prayer Shawl. It is beyond corrupted. I have replaced it with a facsimile. I want to ensure the Shawl is secured at Nanda Parbat until it can be destroyed. The Qas may be able to help identify how it was corrupted by whom. Only a powerful being could corrupt the Shawl."
"I'll see to it," Qirsh replied. He turned to the rest of the League in Zandia. "Does anyone else have anything to add for this meeting?" he asked.
"The others have relayed all the important details," Khadash replied.
"Very good," Qirsh replied. He looked over the group. "Return to the Spine. We have deployed the virus across Zandia and received an update on the Cult's activities. It is time to return to safety."
"It will be done," the group chorused in response.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S HORN: BIALYA, ALEGAB - QUEEN BEE'S PALACE: 27 NOV 2013
Aldire strolled through the halls of the palace at Bialya casually with her tablet clutched close to her. She had a copy of the viruses on a flash drive hanging off of her wrist. She looked like she belonged. She nodded politely to the women she passed and deferred to the men, as was customary for this culture. She turned into a room and then, bold as brass, loaded her virus and checked her table before turning and continuing her journey through the palace.
"You," an imperious voice commanded behind her.
Aldire stopped and turned politely before she noticed Queen Bee with several of her pet generals. She demurely bowed her head.
"Yes, my Queen?" Aldire asked softly.
"I require your assistance," Queen Bee demanded. "Come."
"Yes, my Queen," Aldire replied. She breathed an internal sigh of relief. I have not been discovered.
Aldire followed the Queen's entourage to a hidden hallway. Queen Bee entered a code in the security lock and strode inside with her train.
Aldire was momentarily stunned to immobility as she took note of the being working the advanced technology on the other side of the room. The being was humanoid, but was not human. It had white skin was marked with several black marks on its face and hands. Its hair was gray. The rest of the creature was covered in strange clothing. It looked up from the computer station and schooled its features.
"Tyrell," Queen Bee announced as she strode boldly into the room. "You are not making any progress."
"I can only do so much with the resources you have allowed me," Tyrell replied. "Your primitive technology limits me."
"Then perhaps you should work on improving that technology," Queen Bee retorted. "I am tired of hearing your excuses. I want updates. From now on you will be monitored." Queen Bee turned to Aldire. "You will assist Tyrell. I want nightly updates on his progress."
"Yes, my Queen," Aldire replied demurely. She bowed her head to Queen Bee. This must be the null zone I noticed earlier.
"It's settled then," Queen Bee replied imperiously. Then swept out of the room with her entourage behind her.
Tyrell scowled. "Just what I need," he griped to himself. "Another useless primate."
Aldire took the time to position herself to one side of the creature. "My Lord," she started politely. "How may I assist you?" she asked. If I can get near the computers, I can infect the systems.
"Help?" Tyrell vented at her. "You can't help, you worthless monkey. It's bad enough that I am trapped on this worthless rock at the back end of the galaxy," he snarled at her. "Go bang some rocks together over there," he said as he waved her towards the two other systems in the room.
Bang some rocks together? What an ass! Aldire thought as she moved to infect the two computers. Then she smirked. It was a simple solution. Queen Bee didn't look like the kind of person to take being insulted lightly. She ran a quick program to activate the cameras on each of the three computers. Then she started to review the data located on this computer.
What Aldire found horrified her. Tyrell was looking for a method to remove free will from humans. At the request of Queen Bee. It was based on the fact that human brains are basically complex computers. Tyrell was looking for ways to overwrite the programming of the human brain.
Tyrell continued to work at his computer station while muttering in his native tongue. Aldire didn't have to understand his language to know that he was not saying anything complimentary. She moved her videos to her tablet and then slowly rose from her work station.
"Do you have any progress on this project for me to report to the queen?" Aldire asked demurely.
"I would have more to report if you would stop interrupting me," Tyrell said with a glare at her. "Leave me."
"Of course, My Lord," Aldire replied as she headed to the door. He really is making this too easy. Aldire knocked and then exited when the guard let her out of Tyrell's rooms. His cell. She made her way through the palace to find Queen Bee. She keyed up the video of Tyrell ranting about stupid primitive expectations and then fading into swearing in his native tongue.
Aldire found Queen Bee and hour later. She still had her train of pet generals following her around.
"My queen," Aldire interrupted Queen Bee during a moment of silence. "I have your update on Tyrell. I am afraid it is not good," she said contritely.
"Tell me what you know," Queen Bee ordered.
"Tyrell has made little to no progress on his project," Aldire reported. "He is constantly berating the state of technology he has to work with. He… He has not offered any kind words for humans." She pushed her tablet toward the Queen and keyed the video to start playing.
"I can't believe that the stupid woman wants me to rewrite the cognitive function using… rocks," Tyrell could be heard venting. "I can smash their head-in. That would rewrite their cognitive functions… not the way the damn human wants… always has to put in qualifications… like that matters," his voice trailed off into swearing in his native tongue.
Aldire stopped the video and pulled it away from the shocked face of Queen Bee. Then her face morphed into rage. "This… this fluffed up piece of space trash dares… DARES to belittle me." She whipped around to her military entourage. "Eliminate him. Remember to keep him from the sun. If he takes too much damage, he can't heal it," she ordered her generals.
Two of the generals ran off to execute her orders. Queen Bee took the time to regain control of herself. She finally looked at Aldire. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention," she said in a more polite tone. "What is your evaluation of the project?" she asked.
"I think that the project has merit," Aldire replied even as her stomach roiled against it. Play your part. "The project is well beyond my scope of understanding. But someone with more wisdom may be able to complete it. Perhaps not as quickly as Lord Tyrell, but eventually it can be done."
"I know just the person," Queen Bee said with a speculative glint in her eye. "You will assist him."
"As you wish, my Queen," Aldire replied demurely. She had been hoping to escape the palace already, but if she was expected to assist… well, she could eliminate the man with the greatest chance of success. Then wipe the computers. With Tyrell gone, Queen Bee would have nothing. No data. No alien being. No head scientist.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
USA, WA, STARLING CITY - ROCCO'S BAR: 28 NOV 2013
"Eric," Quentin asked morosely into his glass of bourbon. "Why you workin' today?" he asked. "Don't you got family?"
The bartender looked up from his place by the sink and considered Quentin. "I do," Eric finally replied. "What about you?" he asked Quentin. "Do you have someone waiting for you at home?" he asked in return.
Quentin seemed to shrink in his seat. "No," he replied sullenly. "Dinah… she left… an' Sara… Sara's all grown up now…"
"It's Thanksgiving," Eric replied. "That's when the kids like to come home and see the folks. Doesn't she want to see you?" he asked.
"I guess," Quentin replied. "I… I didn't ask… She likes to hang out with the kid… Poor girl… she lost most of her family…"
"Do you want me to call your Sara?" Eric asked.
"I… Yeah," Quentin replied. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it. "Here," he offered the phone to the bartender. It wasn't the first time he had to call Sara to come get him. I wouldn't be the last.
Eric took the phone and made the call quick. He returned Quentin's phone and kept him company with the occasional glass of water mixed with another glass of bourbon. Eventually, Sara strode into the bar and found the bartender and her father. They were the only ones in the bar.
"Eric?" Sara asked as she approached the bar.
"Yes," Eric replied with a smile. "He's been depressed. It's common on Thanksgiving."
"I know," Sara replied with a sigh. She stepped up to her father. "Dad? You ready to go home?" she asked.
"I miss your mom, Sara," Quentin said with a sulky tone. "Why didn't she want to be here? Why couldn't she come home for you?" he asked.
"Mom can't live in Starling anymore," Sara replied. She had made her peace with her mother's departure to Central City. The few calls they had shared since made it clear that Dinah would never return to Starling voluntarily.
"But why?" Quentin whined as Sara pulled him upright and led him to the door. "You are here. She used to love you."
"I don't know," Sara replied. Honestly, she didn't understand her mother's allergic reaction to the city. Her violent refusal to accept Sara's decision to stay. Her rejection of her husband and daughter. "I don't think we will ever know," she told him sadly.
Sara tucked him into her car and secured the seatbelt. Then climbed in and drove her father home. His new place was smaller. A one-bedroom apartment. But it was clean. It was secure. Her father's only complaint was that the kitchen was too small.
Sara levered her father into his apartment and set him down on his easy chair. She retrieved a glass of water and some aspirin and placed them next to his chair.
"I just… I want everything to go back," Quentin said blearily. "I miss our family. We used to be a good family. I want our family back."
"I know, Dad," Sara replied as she stood up to leave. "But we can't go back. We can only go forward. You taught me that."
"I did?" Quentin asked.
"You did," Sara said with a smile in her voice. "Life goes on. You take your hits and keep going."
"It does," Quentin replied softly as he drifted into sleep.
Sara smiled fondly at her father before she walked out of the apartment and secured the door behind her.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
DEMON'S HORN: BIALYA, ALEGAB - QUEEN BEE'S PALACE: 30 NOV 2013
Over the next few days, Aldire split her time with reviewing the massive amount of data from Queen Bee to sabotaging the cognitive manipulation project. By day three, Aldire couldn't stand to be in the room with Dr. Baqi Nassif any longer.
Once they had settled into their usual work stations, Aldire silently crept behind the odious Dr. Nassif and placed him in a head lock. He struggled briefly before she was able to snap his neck. She placed his body in the rolling chair and then went to his computer. She programed it to overwrite the whole drive with junk data. Ones and zeros. Then she repeated the action on the other two operating systems. She placed him back before the dark work station and positioned him in a natural way. She collected her tablet and straightened her clothing before exiting the room. She casually made her way out of the palace and back to her League Safe House.
"You're back early," Mai greeted her from the table with her laptop open. She was skimming the data they had collected from Queen Bee.
"Yes, thank the Source," Aldire replied. "I couldn't stand to be in a room with that man any longer. He reminded me too much of Ivo."
"Are you going back?" Mai asked.
"No," Aldire replied. "The computers are wiped. Tyrell and Nassif are dead. The viruses are loaded."
"Then our mission was a success," Mai said with a smile. "Well done, Aldire."
"Thank you," Aldire replied. "I still want to skim the data before we leave. But right now," she said with a wince. "I need a shower. I feel slimy."
"Nassif?" Mai asked.
"Nassif," Aldire agreed.
Aldire moved further into the League Safe House and collected her things for a long, hot shower.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~