The Crane War

by Graeme Rodaughan

  The late afternoon sun cut long shadows through the gas station.

  Three young men whooped and jeered. The driver floored the big V8 engine of their Ford pickup truck. The light-blue truck spun its wheels across the concrete as it veered onto the main road. Once on the bitumen, the wheels got traction and the truck took off with a roar.

  Li arched an eyebrow at the rapidly vanishing vehicle, and wondered briefly at how frivolous people could be. The sound of rushing fuel peaked within the motorcycle’s gas tank. She lifted the fuel nozzle and slotted it back into its holder on the gas pump.

  She flipped the cap closed and glanced around. Peter, Chiara and herself had decided to refuel at the first opportunity. They now had plenty of juice to reach Slayne’s airport with some to spare if trouble showed up. They had covered seventy-two miles from the Black Rock roadhouse in a little over forty-five minutes and were making excellent progress. She swiped Slayne’s debit card over a reader and paid for the fuel. The fake identity provided by Slayne stood the test and the transaction went through.

  Li pivoted, lifting her left leg to mount the bike. The world tilted, a sudden wave of dizziness washing over her, and she fell back down to the cold concrete between her bike and the gas pump. Somewhere in the distance someone called her name.

  She blinked, rising to her elbows. The world flipped to a photographic negative, all the shadows glowing with their own light, and then snapped back into something that resembled the real world. Her breath rasped in her ears. Her heart thudded in her chest. The lights of the Enoch gas station continued to shine but no one was home.

  Li leaped to her feet and looked around in growing terror. The dizziness had vanished along with everyone else. Peter and Chiara, other drivers, the gas station staff were all gone. The road past the station was empty of traffic and the town of Enoch lay as silent as a tomb.

  A familiar voice not heard for years called out behind her, “Hi, Sis.”

  Li whirled around. Standing ten feet away was a young man with dark brown eyes, spiky gelled hair, and an insouciant grin. It was her dead brother Qiang, dressed in the street casual clothes he was wearing the last time she’d seen him alive. Love burst through her heart. She took a step forward and whispered past a half-choked sob, “Qi?”

  Qi took a step back, maintaining the distance between them.

  Li pulled to a stop, her chest heaving. Disappointment flooded her. “This isn’t real.”

  Qi tilted his head and declared, “Everything you perceive is real somewhere.”

  Li frowned. “You’re not my brother.”

  “I could be. I could be anything you wanted me to be.” His features twisted, melting like wax. He shrank, dropping six inches, his clothing transforming into a pleasant dress. Li looked upon her mother with horror.

  “This is no good,” her mother stated authoritatively. Her features melted. Her clothes transformed. A moment later Qi’s smile twisted into a derisive grin. “You carry a blindness within you. Give up the witch’s infernal flame and see me truly.”

  “No!” Li shouted. She reached for the Green Dragon, her hand clutching empty air. She looked down at her waist. The Green Dragon and its scabbard were gone.

  “Such distrust,” Qi remarked, his voice reflecting her brother’s tone of voice perfectly. “Do you really believe your blade would work here?”

  Li centered herself, drawing upon Juliette’s legacy. She raised her right hand drawing a broad circular arc. Golden light flared around her, expanding outward in a protective sphere.

  Qi watched her, raising a quizzical eyebrow, a slight smile curling the edges of his mouth. The edge of the golden sphere stopped about halfway between them. His gaze intensified and he started walking toward her.

  Naked panic screamed at the back of Li’s mind. The need to flee flooded her soul. She stood fast, barely managing to hold back the waves of terror assaulting her.

  Qi’s eyes sparkled. His shadow writhed behind him, drawing inhuman shapes upon the pale concrete. He stepped through the boundary of the sphere. Golden fire played in a narrow halo around his body, pale wisps of smoke rising from his form. His face froze for a moment, then the sphere contracted with a snap. He approached calmly and halted just beyond her reach.

  Cold terror ran a thousand knives through Li’s heart. She gasped out, “You’re filth.”

  “Your perspective is twisted by Thoth’s legacy,” Qi declared. He reached out his right hand and implored. “Put your cursed burdens down.” He brought his hands in, pointing to his heart. “All that you have lost can be restored.”

  Grief wracked her, as fresh as the day she stood at her mother and Qiang’s gravesides, and the night when she held her father’s hand on the dock in Boston.

  “You don’t have to be alone, Li. I can bring them back as if they’d never left.”

  Li sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks, she whispered between gasps, “No.”

  Qi implored, “Free yourself from false masters and embrace the truth.”

  She sobbed again, then spat. “There’s no truth in you.”

  “No, truth?” Qi wagged his finger at her, his dark eyes regarding her avidly. “Let me prove my good faith by warning you of your future.” Qi’s shadow twisted behind him, stretching and darkening with fell power. He waved his hands sharply aside and snapped with quiet intensity. “This, will come to pass.”

  The gas station and the town whirled and disappeared, and Qiang Wu vanished with them.

  Night swept over the world. Li floated like a ghost a foot above a tarmac runway. Thirty feet away, Justin Blake and three others battled a small army of rabid, screaming vampires. The world twisted away … she was suspended in mid-air over a pile of smoking rubble. Crane stood glaring at a distant Blake force team, armed with shoulder launched surface to air missiles, he whispered, “Fire.” The world twisted away again … she stood beneath the wide-open doors of a hanger. Four hypersonic missiles speared toward her. In the middle of the airport, four more detonated just above the Blake force team in blinding flashes.

  The gas station snapped back around her. She’d been rolled into the recovery position and someone’s leather jacket was folded beneath her left cheek. She blinked and turned onto her back.

  Peter was squatting next to her head and asked with a voice filled with concern, “Are you okay? You cried out in pain.”

  “I think so.” Li replied, rising to her feet, wiping stray tears from her cheeks.

  Peter picked up his jacket and stood up. Chiara looked across Li’s motorcycle and stated, “Nothing on the perimeter.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “About a minute,” Peter answered, putting his leather jacket on over his weapons vest. “What happened? Did you have a vision?”

  Li nodded.

  Peter and Chiara looked at her expectantly.

  Li shook her head. “I don’t know if what I saw will happen but it looks bad.”

  “Sounds like business as usual,” Peter remarked with a shrug.

  Li looked at him and smiled weakly. “My first vision about everyone dying in the Panopticon fortress didn’t come true.”

  Chiara said, “Thankfully.”

  “So, why should this one?” Li asked.

  Peter put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Perhaps it’s more a case of seeing risk, and risks can be mitigated. Don’t underestimate the impact of your own actions in the fortress. You delayed the praetorians and allowed us to get into position. You cracked open their core network and helped everyone escape. Without your actions, the mission would have failed and we’d all be dead.”

  “Francis still died,” she stated sadly.

  “Not your fault, Li. You did everything you could do.”

  Li pursed her lips. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “Are we okay?” Chiara asked. “We need to get going.”

  Li nodded and mounted her bike. She glanced down; the Green Dragon was still strapped securely to the
side of the bike. A handful of seconds later, she was following Chiara out of the gas station. Peter followed, watching her back. Whatever had just happened, she couldn’t trust a vision inspired by a fake Qi. Was it really Set who was wearing her brother’s form? If it was Set, why was a god paying her so much attention? What could a god possibly want from her?

  Li shivered. Nothing good could come from this. He’d been barely affected by her defensive sphere. If he was so strong, why hadn’t he been able to attack her in the Panopticon fortress main server room? Her mind clicked like a snapping trap. The quantum processors, she’d been in union with them, but now they were gone and the power they had lent her was gone with them.

  She needed to find a new way to defend herself and soon.

  * * *

  Paragraphs of sharp white letters scrolled down the command drone’s screens.

  Chloe collated the police reports at a glance and declared, “We have six riders spread across a five-to-ten-minute window. They completed passage through the towns of Enoch at 18:04, Beryl Junction at 18:32, and they should arrive in Panaca at 19:00 give or take five minutes.”

  Crane raised an eyebrow and asked sardonically, “Why do I need the Panopticon when I have you?”

  Chloe looked at him askance and raised her hands with a shrug. “I doubt I can be both a glorified computer and your chief enforcer at the same time.”

  “Indeed,” Crane stated with a half-smile, “and what of the Order helpers?”

  “They have all vanished.”

  Crane pressed his lips together and snapped, “It matters not. We will pursue Slayne into his trap and turn his strategy against him. What is the status of the militia?”

  “Your army grows. New reports sent from the citadel indicate a total of nineteen covens for sixty-two registered vampires. They are bringing their familiars and wannabes with them. Total conversions amount to another four hundred and twelve vampires for a total of -”

  “Four hundred and seventy-four,” Crane said. “Slayne and the Mirovar force team have never seen such a force before.”

  Chloe arched a questioning eyebrow.

  “They will be tactically unprepared,” Crane suggested. “The new vampires have all recently fed, but their blood lust is still fresh and easily stimulated. They will be both strong and well-motivated. They will make perfect shock troops,” he frowned momentarily. “Ensure the registered vampires are provided with clear descriptions of the P-Case to pass onto their new coven members. Whomever captures the P-Case and returns it intact will be greatly rewarded.”

  “A reward?”

  “A territory for their coven without restriction on hunting.”

  “You have somewhere in mind?”

  “Eastern Europe.”

  “It’d be a death sentence. Unrestricted hunting would draw the attention of the Red Empire. A new vampire would be lucky to last more than two weeks in Eastern Europe.”

  “Indeed,” Crane remarked with a grin. He left unsaid that the new vampires would have little real understanding of the ruthless threat the Red Empire posed to their continued existence. Crane’s gaze intensified. “Of course, there will be no vampire survivors of the coming battle apart from my praetorians and ourselves.” Crane snorted. “Humans that want to be vampires mystify me. They have no idea of how the world really works. They imagine they will be immortal, powerful, and able to act on their whims. The reality is far from their expectations. These covens we have drawn to this fight, and their familiars and wannabes disgust me.” Crane paused for a moment. “Promise them a great reward. In the end it will all be for naught,” he shook his head, “by the time this battle is done they will all be dead.”

  Chloe nodded. She had long despised wannabe vampires. The vast majority were filled with selfish, short-sighted needs. In her long vampire life, she’d not found a single one with a vision to match the opportunity of immortality. Certainly, none possessed a vision to match her own. She stated, “The militia will be in place before Slayne and the Mirovar team arrive. Each coven will be dispersed to a different hidden location at the airport. They have been assigned to waves, so we can mass their attacks when needed.”

  “Monitor progress and ensure there are no unforeseen circumstances.”

  “Of course,” Chloe remarked.

  “Our strategy is in motion and now we wait.” Crane lifted an eyebrow and inquired, “What is the modern phrase? Ahh, yes, ‘The ball is in their court.’”

  Chloe responded with a slight smile, giving nothing away. The vampire militia were flying into Slayne’s airport northeast of Las Vegas. Slayne and the Mirovar force team were going to arrive after sunset. The new aircraft would be parked in hangers and the vampires would be positioned to attack. No doubt, Slayne would have prepositioned an Order sensor array at the airport and would be forewarned of the arrival of the vampires.

  How would he respond? If he proceeded into the airport, he either had a massive ace up his sleeve or he was willing to risk suicide.

  Chloe frowned slightly. She couldn’t be sure what was going to happen. She took a breath, released it and centered herself. The battle would go to whomever could best adapt to changing circumstances.

  Her frown vanished; she was the most adaptable player in the game.

  * * *

  A message scrolled down Arthur Slayne’s Order nightglasses.

  The letters and numbers were bright red against the surrounding night. Arthur feathered the throttle of his motorcycle, dropping his speed down to seventy miles per hour. He glanced back at the display. The message read, ‘20:03:14: Multiple contacts. Multiple incoming tracks. Landing aircraft imminent, list follows.’ A list of aircraft model and registration numbers scrolled across his view, thirty-four in total. There was no chance the aircraft were arriving by accident. Vampires were arriving at his airport in overwhelming numbers.

  A wave of satisfaction washed through him. This was meant to happen. Despite his best efforts, Crane and Armitage had discovered he was leading his grandson and the Mirovar force team to the airport.

  The warmth flowing through him jarred and tore, evaporating away. He feathered the throttle again, downshifting through the gears and sloughing off speed. A cold shiver ripping through his heart.

  Anton appeared beside him. His grandson let go of his handlebars and lifted his hands in an obvious, ‘what’s the matter?’ gesture. His dark full-face helmet hiding any expression.

  Arthur started to pull his motorcycle to a halt. They needed to rethink the exfiltration. They couldn’t simply drive into an airport that could be holding three hundred plus vampires. His decision lasted for less than a second before it vanished into shadow. He twisted the throttle, the motorcycle’s engine roared and the bike leaped forward.

  A new imperative flooded his mind. He had to take the second P-Case to the airport. Crane and Armitage would come for it and the final end game would begin. The compulsion was familiar, he’d laid it upon himself during the partition of his mind. He must have anticipated he’d have second thoughts about the strategy and put in a number of insurance policies against the possibility of his own rebellion.

  How do you ignore a command that comes from the deepest version of yourself?

  Anton’s voice came through the tactical link on a private bi-directional channel. The rest of the team could not hear them. Anton asked, “Arthur, what’s up? Is there a problem?”

  He heard himself speak before he thought the words. “There are vampires at the airport. Lots of them.”

  “Oh my God! How do you know?”

  “My sensor array has picked up their arrival.”

  “We’ll be there in half an hour. Should we abort? Is there another way?”

  Arthur shook his head. “No, there is no other way.” He opened up a broadcast channel. “To all members of the Order of Thoth. I am Arthur Slayne, more than three hundred vampires have converged on my airport at the intersection of US route 93 and Interstate 15 in Nevada. I will be there within th
irty minutes. This vampire threat cannot be ignored. We must not turn away from this fight - tonight we go to war. Who is with me?”

  The silence stretched.

  Justin Blake was the first to respond. “The Blake force team will join you. We will bring extra weapons. We have an ETA of 20:30.”

  There was a long pause, then Jay responded, “We must win through or die. The Mirovar team are with you.”

  Jon Thunder-Axe’s voice resounded over the line. “Godspeed to you all.”

  The line went silent. There were no other Order of Thoth left in North America who were able to answer.

  “There is a gas station and road house opposite the main entrance to the airport on US route 93. We’ll stage there.”

  “On our way,” Justin responded.

  Arthur accelerated back up to a hundred miles per hour, his grandson pacing beside him. The time for stealth was over, the time for war had begun. He wished he knew what the end game was. What on Earth had he planned? Why had he laid compulsions upon himself? What fate was he leading his grandson and the remnants of the Order to?

  A cold sliver of fear rested in the pit of his stomach and wouldn’t go away. Whatever happened, he wouldn’t sacrifice Anton.

  He’d rather die first.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Truth is a locked box filled with everything we dare not question.” - Arthur Slayne

  “If it is imperative that you forget, then have someone else remember it for you.” - Arthur Slayne

  * * *

  Nevada, Arthur Slayne’s Private Airport, September 11th, 20:15

  Floodlights gleamed off a sleek dark-gray hull. Vertical turbines howled, and rough grass bowed flat beneath the backwash.

  The Osprey II drone descended to the ground. James brought the drone down well outside the buildings surrounding the ‘X’ of the airport’s runways. The two runways made a sort of squashed cross. The first running one and a half miles long from northwest to southeast. The second running north northeast and south southwest for a mile. He landed the drone in the middle of what could have passed for a sheep paddock, opposite and almost a mile away from the airport’s administration building. He was an easy half mile away from rows of hangers clinging to the eastern side of the runway ‘X’.