by P. T. Hylton
With the flick of a switch, CB turned on the two-way comm system attached to the camera in Frank’s cage.
“Frank, it’s time. I need you to wake up.”
CB watched on the monitor as the vampire slowly opened his eyes, wincing from the pain of the ambient light in his daysickened state.
“Hello, CB. It’s good to see you. Thank you for coming.”
CB slid a blood pack through the tray, and the vampire took it and drank. As much of a rush as they were in, it only made sense to let Frank feed before they began. CB needed him at his best, and the vampire’s mind always seemed a bit sharper after he’d drank.
When he’d finished, Frank passed the empty plastic pouch back through the slot to CB. “Tell me, CB, how’s the city today?”
CB took a deep breath. “Honestly, things are not going great. You told me that if the time ever came that the city was in danger of destruction, you’d help me. I’m sorry to tell you, that time has come.”
Frank replied with a single word. “Fleming.”
“Yes.” CB had filled Frank in on the goings-on in the city during their daily visits. He’d told him about the plans for Resettlement, about Fleming murdering the rest of the council, and the way he was lying to the city. Now he just had to catch him up on the rest. He figured short and sweet would be the best approach.
“Fleming sent three hundred Resettlers to the surface two days ago. As best we can tell, they’re all dead, though Fleming won’t admit it. I’m a fugitive. The people are protesting in the streets and those protests will most likely turn violent soon. We need to take down Fleming, but he’s very well protected.”
Frank sighed, and in that sigh CB heard a century and a half of pain and regret. It was clear that hearing this news about the city he loved and had helped to found was breaking his heart. “I wish I could help, CB. Unfortunately, daylight has a pretty bad effect on vampires.”
“That’s why we are about to pilot the ship into darkness.”
Frank tilted his head in surprise.
“It’s never been done, so no one’s going to see it coming,” CB continued. “You have the strength and speed to get to Fleming. We need to go over some details, but most importantly, I need to know that you are okay with doing this. Fleming is in a secured building and he is protected by a small army. There’s no guarantee you’ll survive.”
Frank thought only a moment before answering. He spoke very clearly, looking right at the camera. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but my current living conditions aren’t exactly ideal. Risking my life sounds like a welcome change from this torturous monotony. Besides, I already gave my life up for New Haven when I volunteered for the vampire gig. After the pain I’ve endured, dying to save my city is sort of the best-case scenario.” He paused a moment. “Besides, I’ve had these vampire abilities for a century and a half. I’d really like to see what I can do with them. You get us into darkness, I’ll take out Fleming.”
“Thank you, Frank.”
Frank nodded. Then he tilted his head as if he’d thought of something. “If I succeed in killing Fleming, what happens next?”
It was a question CB had been thinking about a lot the past couple of weeks, so he had an immediate answer. “General Craig will take over until we can hold free elections for a new council. We’ll get it done fast. A return to a normalcy will be important after everything this city’s been through.”
A faint smile crossed Frank’s face. “I meant what happens to me?”
“Ah, sorry.” CB hadn’t given much thought to that question.
“I’m not going back into this box, CB. I’d rather walk into the light than endure another day in this hell.”
“I have a better idea,” CB said. “There is a place on the surface that should be safe for you. It’s a long story, but I think it might be a place where you could find some well-deserved peace.”
“That sounds incredible. You can tell me more when this is over. For now, all that matters is saving the city. How long do we have until night falls on New Haven?”
“My team is working on it as we speak.”
Jessica checked the cable attached to her harness one more time, then she radioed up to Beau in the cockpit. “You holding us steady?”
“Surprisingly, yes I am. We’re just above the flight deck and keeping pace with the ship.”
“Excellent. You’re not a bad pilot, Beau. You should have Owl give you some lessons. Maybe the GMT could use a backup pilot.”
“Ha. I think I may have burned my goodwill with the GMT by joining Fleming’s pale imitation of the group.”
Jessica smiled. “I think you’ll find CB’s the forgiving sort. But let’s get through this mission first. If we can survive the next hour, something like getting on the GMT is going to be a cakewalk by comparison.” She flicked the channel on her radio, bringing Brian in on the conversation. “We’re in position, Brian.”
“Okay, going in five seconds,” Brian answered.
Jessica took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then she put the oxygen mask over her mouth and hit the button to open the cargo door.
Air rushed out of the ship, and Jessica held on to the handrail next to the cargo door to steady herself. Thirty feet below, she saw the ship’s pilot through the glass surrounding the flight deck. The pilot had six heavily armed guards standing around him. They were all staring up at her in confusion.
“Come on, Brian, do your thing,” she muttered. Then she stepped out the cargo door and began lowering herself down toward the control tower.
Though the flight deck was the most well-protected place on New Haven, Brian had come up with a rather elegant solution to get them inside with minimal struggle. The fire-suppression system.
Like many vital areas in New Haven, fire was one of the primary concerns for the flight deck, and the suppression system had been designed to deal with any blazes in a highly effective manner. The room with the fire would automatically be sealed off, and the oxygen would be sucked out of the room. This would ensure the fire went out without damage to the vital systems.
When they were in the basement of the control tower, Brian had hacked into the fire-suppression system. It was now under his complete control.
As Jessica watched, the air rushed out of the flight deck and through a vent on top of the tower. The pilot and guards scrambled to get to the oxygen tanks, but since Brian had deactivated the warning lights, by the time they’d figured out what was happening, it was already too late.
She reached the exhaust port on the roof of the tower and waited for the air to stop rushing out. By now, Brian had activated and locked every fire door in the building, which would make getting in a real chore for any badges or GMT members Fleming sent after her.
When the air stopped rushing out of the exhaust vent, Jessica climbed in. A moment later, she popped out a ceiling panel in the control room and dropped onto the flight deck.
She took a quick moment to check her surroundings. The pilot and guards were unconscious. At least, she hoped they were only unconscious.
“I’m in, Brian,” she said into her radio. “Want to give me a little air?”
“Roger that,” he answered.
As the vents closed and the room once again filled with oxygen, Jessica moved around the room, handcuffing the pilot and guards to support posts. So far, none of them had woken up, but she wasn’t about to take any chances.
Then she approached the flight controls and took a deep breath. Her hands flew over the instruments as she adjusted the flight path, ignoring the warning bells that chimed in protest to the new direction she was sending the ship.
For the first time in its history, New Haven was about to enter the darkness.
Once Jessica had control of the flight deck, Brian let out a whoop of joy. Then he turned his attention to making sure she could keep control of it. He tapped a few commands on the screen, and within moments, he had Fleming’s personal communication feed in his left ear.
He listened with delight as Fleming and his team absolutely freaked out, trying to figure out how and why Jessica had taken control of the ship and where she was planning to fly it.
Fleming ordered every badge and faceless GMT member in the city to abandon his latest order of getting into the GMT hangar and to instead head for the flight deck.
“Yeah, good luck with that,” Brian muttered. Between the flight deck’s impressive security and Brian’s control of the fire-suppression system, that was going to be no easy task.
Besides, he could pump the air out of any individual room in the control tower. If some badges did get too close, he’d just make them stop breathing.
As he was monitoring the faceless GMT’s progress, one of the techs called to him. “Hey, Brian. Something’s coming through on the GMT radio channel. You’re going to want to hear this.”
Brian blinked hard in surprise. He hated unexpected wrinkles in his well-laid-out plans. “Put it through to my headset.”
The tech did so, then spoke into the radio. “This is GMT control. Could you say again?”
“Sure thing, GMT control,” the voice replied. “This is Captain Alex Goddard. The GMT is incoming.”
25
Brain clutched his headset. “Holy shit. Is that really you, Alex?”
There was a long pause. “Brian? Damn, man, it’s good to hear your voice. I thought Fleming would have killed you by now.”
“Not yet he hasn’t,” Brian said with a laugh, “though it’s not for lack of trying. I thought he had killed you. Guess I should have known better.”
“What are your coordinates? We just left the surface and we’re coming your way. We figured it was time to pay Fleming a visit.”
“Sending them now. We’ll have the air lock in the GMT hangar open and ready for you. Assuming you get here before Fleming’s guys break down the doors.”
“Roger that. Owl says we’ll be there in twenty minutes.” There was a brief pause. “Hey Brian, are you sure those coordinates are right? Owl says you’re pushing pretty hard against the dusk line.”
“We’re doing more than that,” Brian replied. “We are taking New Haven into full darkness.”
“What?”
On the monitor, he saw a group of faceless GMT members entering the control tower through the basement.
“Look, I’ll explain when you get here. For now, I need to concentrate on keeping Jessica alive.”
To her credit, Alex didn’t question that statement. “Roger that. We’re on our way.”
As the conversation between Brian and Alex ended, the sun dipped behind the western horizon and darkness crept over New Haven.
All over the city, people stopped what they were doing and their eyes went to the sky.
Protesters in the Hub lowered their signs and looked toward the darkening horizon, as did the badges who were supposed to be corralling them.
People working, people drinking, people making love. They all observed the darkness in wonder and fear. Sleeping loved ones were woken to see the spectacle. Most of the city had never experienced a darkened sky, and seeing it now was like watching a second sun appear; it was entirely unexpected and unnatural to them.
After a few moments of collective silence, chaos erupted. Some people screamed. A few fainted. Most scattered, heading back to their homes to be with loved ones. They had no idea if their ship was malfunctioning or if they were about to be swarmed with vampires. After all, wasn’t that why New Haven flew in the sun? To keep the vampires away?
As the people scattered, the darkness grew deeper. There were no exterior lights anywhere in New Haven. There had never been a need for any. The city plunged into darkness.
In Fleming’s office, Sarah watched the scene out the window, a sick feeling in her stomach. Never had the city so badly needed their leader to address them and calm their fears. But he was in no condition to do so. He was currently occupied with other concerns.
“Why would they do this?” Fleming asked as he stared at the monitor on his desk, searching for signs of the fugitives. “CB’s an evil traitor, but he’s not an idiot. He has a reason.”
Sarah answered without taking her eyes off the window. It was difficult to even see the street below now, but still she stared. “It seems pretty obvious to me. He wanted to sow chaos in the city and prove you’re not in control.”
Her voice was flat. She’d long since given up trying to calm him. At this point, he was right to panic.
Fleming thought about that for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t think so. This is something else.” He tapped his fingers on his desk. “I should know this. I should be able to figure this out.”
Finally, Sarah turned away from the window and looked at Fleming. “You don’t think this is about Agartha, do you? Is it possible the Agartha vampires have a ship that could reach us?”
At the word vampires, Fleming froze, suddenly understanding. “No. Not Agartha.” He looked at her, the terror clear in his eyes. “Sarah, they have a vampire on board.”
Sarah shook her head slowly. “That’s impossible. We’ve only been in darkness a few minutes.”
“You don’t understand. There’s been a vampire on board the whole time.”
Sarah stared at Fleming, her mouth agape, certain he’d truly lost his mind.
Fleming grabbed the radio, clutching it so hard his fingers turned white. “I need every faceless GMT unit at the Hub immediately.”
“Sir, what about the flight deck?”
“Let the badges handle that,” he barked. “Get the faceless GMT here now!”
Setting down the radio, he ran to the door and threw it open. The four guards outside looked at him in surprise.
“There is a vampire coming here to kill me,” he said in a breathless voice. “I have reinforcements on the way, but until they arrive, it’s up to you to protect me. Come wait in here.”
The guards looked at each other, fear and confusion on their faces.
“Listen carefully, if the vampire arrives, you have to kill it. Even if it bites me, even if I tell you to stop. No matter what I do or say, keep firing on the vampire until he is dead. Do you understand?”
From their perplexed expressions, it was clear they didn’t, but they all nodded.
“Yes, sir,” one of them said. “We’ll kill the vampire.”
The light was fading in the room with the steel box.
“Is it time?” Frank asked.
“Almost.” As always, waiting was the hardest part for CB. Once he threw open the door to that steel box, things would move quickly. He’d barely have a chance to breathe before this ended one way or the other. But now he was left to think about all the ways this crazy plan could go wrong. A single lucky headshot from a guard outside the GMT hangar could take Frank down and bring his plan to a screeching halt.
He pushed the thought away. It was much too late to reconsider now. Either the plan would work and New Haven would find peace and balance again, or CB, Jessica, and Brian would die as traitors and the city would be ruled by a madman for the indefinite future.
As the last light faded over the horizon, CB turned on a headlamp he’d brought from the hangar. He opened a wall safe mounted opposite the steel box. Inside was a single key. Then he used the key to open a cabinet next to the monitor. Inside was a read button with a sign above it. “WARNING: BUTTON UNLOCKS STEEL CAGE. DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION FROM THE CITY COUNCIL.”
The way CB figured it, the fact that the council had been murdered was authorization enough. His hand hovered over the button, but he hesitated as something in the monitor caught his eye.
Frank was changing.
The change wasn’t as obvious as when he’d transformed from a Feral back to his human form, but it was a change nonetheless.
For the first time since CB had met him, Frank was standing up straight. He looked strong and fresh, his usual pained expression gone.
“I can feel it, CB,” Frank said. “It’s time.�
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“Yes. It is.” CB took a breath, then punched the button.
He heard a series of hydraulic locks moving. Then the box Frank had called home for the last one hundred and fifty years slowly split. The two halves separated, and CB stood face to face with Frank for the first time.
The vampire slowly stepped forward, moving toward CB.
In his mind, CB pictured what would happen if Frank attacked. He knew the vampire would be able to kill him in seconds, and he’d be helpless to stop it from happening.
Instead, Frank extended his hand. CB took it, and the two shook.
“Good to meet you, Colonel Brickman,” Frank said with a smile.
“Same here.”
The hand shake went on a little too long, and when CB pulled his hand back, Frank seemed reluctant to release it. CB realized this was the first human contact Frank had experienced in a very long time. He felt a pang of sorrow at the thought.
“We’d better get moving,” he said. “Follow me.”
He led Frank through the glass corridor and to the GMT hangar. Frank looked around in wonder as they walked.
“This place was new last time I saw it,” Frank said. “We had such dreams for this city.”
“Let’s take care of Fleming, then we can see about making some of them come true.” CB pulled open the door and they walked into the hangar. It felt surreal leading a vampire into the GMT headquarters.
As they entered the control room, every eye looked up at them. Though no one spoke, it was clear they all knew Frank was a vampire.
CB nodded to Brian. “Can we get Frank a headset? We’ll want to stay in contact with him as he goes after Fleming.”
Brian quickly nodded and grabbed a comm unit off the desk. “Nice to meet you, Frank. We’ll be able to talk to each other with this. I can guide you if needed. Do you, um, know your way around?”
