I turned and glared at him. “Really?”
“What? I might be dead, but that doesn’t mean my priorities aren’t straight.”
Goddamned idiot! “All right, you two, calm down. We have more important issues at hand than sniping at each other.”
“Such as why she’s alive?” Christy asked me.
“Yeah, Bill. Why don’t you bring everyone up to speed?” Ed said from behind me, stepping in and shutting the door.
Instead of taking the bait, I took a deep breath, long enough for Dave to pick himself up off the floor and give Gan a wide berth. Then I turned to Vincent. “Hey, man. Long time. How are you?”
“Confused,” he replied.
“Join the party. Where’s your better half?”
“She’s back at my place watching Tina,” Christy said.
“Yeah, you should have seen her,” Tom added. “She may be small, but she kicks all the asses. Takes after her old man.”
I glanced from him to Christy, my eyebrows raised.
However, she replied, “I’m not sure I want to go into the details in front of present company.”
Gan shrugged as if she couldn’t have cared less. “Then perhaps I, too, shall refrain from sharing what I know. Pity, as I believe it could benefit the whore.”
“What?”
“It’s Sally. They got to her during that last surge,” I said, giving Gan some side eye at her less than generous nickname.
Whatever disgust had been on Christy’s face at Gan’s reappearance immediately gave way to worry. “Is that where you’ve been?”
“Yeah. She managed to send a text to me.”
“So you just ran over there without letting us know?”
“I’m sorry.” I stepped toward her then hesitated, realizing almost too late that I’d been about to put my hands on her shoulders – a somewhat more intimate move than I probably wanted to make in front of a jealous three-hundred year old psycho.
“Personal space, fucker,” Tom said in response.
Dumbass.
“Not now,” Christy hissed at him. “Is she okay? Where did they take her?”
I held up my hands and explained what Ed and I knew, as well as what we didn’t know which, sadly, greatly outweighed the former.
When I was finished, Vincent asked, “Did you call the police?”
“No. I talked to her a few days ago and she insisted this wasn’t something we wanted to bring the authorities in on.”
“Perhaps her warning was for during those ... pulses, as you called them. But otherwise, those ungodly devils are as mortal as the rest of us. The police might be able to track them down and...”
“They will not,” Gan interrupted before turning to me. “Your friend is not anywhere the authorities of this city can get to. Of this, I am certain.”
“And you know this how?” I asked.
She looked up at me and smiled. I made a silent vow that if her next words threw any more shade Sally’s way, I’d deck her then and there – damn the rules of decency and sportsmanship.
However, she simply replied, “It is because they came for me first.”
BEATING OFF THE ENEMY
“They what?”
Gan made to sit, then took a look at my couch and apparently decided against it. “Twice, as a matter of fact. They came for me first. Then, soon after, an attack was staged against one of my facilities. Regretfully, they were more successful in their second campaign.”
“How’d you get away?” I asked.
She let out a laugh. “Escape was never part of the equation, dearest. Though they managed to overpower my bodyguards, they found me a much harder target to subdue.”
“Let me guess, “ Ed replied, eyes narrowed. “You’ve been getting your powers back during those pulses, haven’t you?”
“Indeed. It is most glorious to feel the pull of eternity again, even if only for a short time.”
“You did? Err, do?” I glanced at Christy to gauge her reaction, but she was apparently still too annoyed at Gan’s survival to pay me much heed. Yeah, that was going to be a fun conversation later.
Regardless, the fact that Gan was alive and her powers were working again seemed to reinforce the theory I’d laid out to Ed earlier. It was one more piece to this puzzle, albeit not a particularly promising piece.
“It is of little consequence, though,” Gan continued, “for this happened some months ago, long before these anomalies began.”
What the? “But why?”
“I will admit, at first I was confused. Even more so because I recognized the fighting style of my attackers.”
“How so?”
“It was not dissimilar to techniques employed by the elite guard assigned to our former prefectures.”
“Former prefectures? Like the one in Boston?” Ed asked. “So you think these fuckers were vamps?”
“Perhaps,” Gan replied. “As I said, it moderately surprised me, considering I thought myself the sole survivor amongst our elders.”
Oddly enough, that didn’t make me feel better at all. “I’m going to assume that means you think these guys weren’t newbs.”
“It was unheard of for the elite to recruit any under a century in age.”
“That would be a yes.”
“I have so missed your sense of sarcasm, beloved.”
“Focus, Gan. What happened?”
“Three individuals infiltrated my home and confronted me. I, of course, beat them off.”
Tom started to snicker. If this hadn’t been such an unfunny matter, I probably would have joined him. “Fought them off.”
“Excuse me?”
“You fought them off. There’s a difference.”
“As you wish. The fact remains, my capture was seemingly only one of their objectives.”
“How so?” Vincent replied.
“After they escaped, I learned they’d made off with a laptop containing sensitive data.”
“A laptop?” I asked. “That’s very modern of you.”
“A necessary evil in this day and age, I’m afraid. It was foolishly left unattended by a servant in my employ. I, of course, had him blinded for this oversight.”
“What?” Vincent cried, standing up. “How could you?”
Ed stepped in and put a hand on the former Templar’s shoulder. “Let’s maybe focus on one war crime at a time. We can deal with her afterward.”
Gan chuckled as if she thought their comments quaint. Yeah, this was heading downhill fast. I needed to keep us focused. “What was on the laptop?” I asked.
“Information regarding a facility of mine in Damascus.”
“Damn-ass-cus,” Tom said before being shushed by Christy again.
“Yes,” Gan said with a nod. “It was breached roughly a week later. The data stolen was sufficient to circumvent the security measures in place.”
Damascus? A memory flashed through my mind of Sally and I being held prisoner by Calibra. She’d told us a story of how, long ago, she discovered a tunnel leading deep into the Earth. That had been the start of everything: the creation of vampires, our war with the Sasquatches, and all the horrors which came after. More importantly, this tunnel still existed, somewhere beneath the modern city of...
“I can see by the look on your face that you are piecing things together,” Gan said. “It does my heart good to watch your mind at work.”
“This facility in Damascus...”
“Yes, my love. It houses the very same tunnel I walked out of five years ago in my quest to reach the surface – the lone passage that leads to The Source.”
♦ ♦ ♦
“You know where it is?” Christy asked.
“I not only know where, witch, but I own the mosque that sits above it, as well as most of the surrounding neighborhood.”
“Wait,” I said. “You can’t just buy a mosque.”
Gan smiled as if she thought me a cute but dull-witted puppy. “The local government is in constant need of funds.
I can assure you, everything there can be had for a price.”
“Way to respect their religious beliefs,” Ed remarked.
Gan let out a mirthless chuckle. “The Source is the one truth of this world. All other ideologies stem from its existence.”
“Nonsense,” Vincent barked. “Those are lies the darkness wants us...”
“Let’s save the theological discussions for later.” I turned back toward Gan. “Are there any other atrocities you want to confess before getting to the point?”
“None come to mind,” she replied in a matter of fact tone before resuming her story. “A small strike team breached this facility, securing it long enough for a sizable group to enter the tunnel and collapse a section of it behind them. That itself spoke of their dedication, as without The Source the caverns below are little more than sterile rock.”
“A sizeable group?” Christy asked. “All vampires?”
Gan raised an eyebrow. “I think you know better.”
“Magi.”
“Indeed. Working together in collusion with these elite guardsmen, as well as some others.”
“Others?” I asked. “What kind of whackjobs would be crazy enough to sign up for a one-way trip to a dead cavern?”
“The non-human kind.”
“Like ... dogs?”
She shook her head. “Not all extra-planar creatures were sent home when The Source was destroyed. Only those of a spiritual nature or tethered to their home planes via a greater power returned. Many purely physical beings remained behind.”
I glanced at Christy and she nodded. “I’ve heard rumors, but nothing substantiated. Theoretically it’s possible, but such entities would be rendered as powerless as the rest of us.”
“Indeed,” Gan replied. “Minor beings – imps or goblins as your culture might label them – left behind to rot in the shadows, unable to integrate into human society,
“Desperate,” Christy said in a small voice. “Perhaps even more so than the Magi.”
“So what was the point in all of this?” Ed asked. “Besides burying themselves alive.”
“The Source, obviously,” Gan replied. Before any of us could point out the impossibility of such a thing, she continued. “Doors, even heavily sealed, can be reopened, provided one is clever enough.”
“Or has something on the other side which wants in badly enough,” Christy replied, her face turning a shade paler.
I turned to her. “Excuse me?”
“The witch is not as ignorant as I assumed,” Gan said.
I considered this. “Something that wants back in ... like vampires?”
Gan shook her head. “An interesting theory, but unlikely. Many who were driven out of our world are inconsequential. Even the entities who once empowered the undead are but disembodied spirits, little more than jackals prowling the forest. Fearsome perhaps, but nothing compared to the great beasts which rule those lands.”
“Why does that sound ominous?” I asked.
“Because it is,” Christy replied with a tired sigh. “The old gods. They were locked out, too. Most had long since retreated from our world, forgotten religions that...”
“Not all,” I replied, remembering back to the time when I managed to piss off an actual death god.
“No, not all,” she confirmed. “But a lot. And those that retained a toehold on our reality had mostly agreed to the provisions of the old Humbaba Accord.”
Ah yes, the treaty that had kept the vampires and their ancient enemies – Sasquatch – from going to war for thousands of years ... at least until I’d gotten involved. Not one of my finer moments.
“Alas, the Accord is now null and void due to the eradication of both races,” Gan replied. “But perhaps therein lays opportunity for the old powers.”
Christy nodded, her rivalry with Gan apparently forgotten for the moment. “The history of the Magi tells us that in ancient times the old gods strove to forge followings among the human race. Once established, these pockets of worship were jealously guarded. However, petty as they were, the gods realized that all-out war would do nothing but destroy their hard-won spoils. As a result, many were content to allow their high priests to forge treaties with neighboring religions.”
“Kind of like what cable companies do,” Tom’s ghost surmised.
Christy turned to him and smiled, eliciting a minor stab of jealousy from me despite the poor timing. “You’re not entirely off base. But the old gods were fickle. Stuck in a state of stagnation with their fellow immortals, many eventually grew bored and withdrew from this world.”
“So why give a shit now?” Dave asked, making it a point to keep the couch between him and Gan. Probably a smart move.
“With the destruction of The Source,” Christy continued, “those old boundaries were erased, old treaties nullified. A being strong enough to punch back into our reality could, in theory, establish a wide swath of influence before others were able to respond.”
“Okay, fine, but how the hell would someone even contact them with The Source gone?” I asked. “Pretty sure email isn’t an option.”
Gan grinned at me, mirroring Christy’s smile to Tom but in a much more predatory way. “The ears of the old gods are sharp and ever listening for those who know how to call out to them.”
“She’s right,” Christy said. “If one knows the proper rituals and is prepared to pay the price in blood, one could conceivably be heard.”
Well, if that wasn’t disturbing as fuck, I didn’t know what was.
“It all sounds like bullshit to me,” Tom scoffed.
“Agreed,” Vincent replied with a resolute nod. “The one true Lord holds sway here. He cannot be so easily...”
“Not that, dumbass! I mean, it isn’t the fifteen hundreds anymore. People have seen Ghostbusters. They aren’t going to drop to their knees just because some asshole plops down in the middle of Manhattan and proclaims themselves Gozer. Fuck no. They’ll get on the phone and tell the Army to send in the stealth bombers.”
“Air Force,” I corrected, “although you have a point. I mean, yeah, some assholes will be happy as clams to start sacrificing goats. But I like to think plenty more will be skeptical. We’re not exactly living in the Bronze Age here.”
“No, we are not.” Gan held my gaze, her eyes sparkling in a way that was definitely not platonic. “But do not think the old powers are so naïve. Many who exist beyond the veil possess vast intelligence. They will surely pick more contemporary means to spread their influence than, for instance, burning bushes. Despite your belief to the contrary, my love, your species has always shown a proclivity toward subservience.”
“My species?”
Gan smiled. “It remains to be seen what I and the Progenitor are. I’d thought myself human, but these last few days have left that in question.”
“Kara is so not going to like this.”
Ghost Tom turned toward Ed. “Dude, nobody wants to hear about you porking my sister.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “That’s what you’re most worried about right now? If I’m hearing this shit correctly, we’ve got maybe Cthulhu and Odin standing outside the door waiting to hand out pamphlets, while a bunch of crazies are down below helping them pick the lock. Worst of all, these fuckers kidnapped Sally for some reason.” I turned to the rest. “Does that about cover it?”
Gan clapped her hands together. “I have so missed your fire.”
“Um, thank you, I guess.”
“But you are likely also incorrect.”
“I am?”
Gan tented her fingers as if preparing to lecture us. “I have merely put forth one possible scenario. What is actually happening might be far different. The sporadic nature of these fluxes of spiritual energy is strange, not at all in line with what I might expect from what we’ve discussed.”
“Then what the fuck have we been talking about?!”
Christy put a hand on my arm. “You need to calm down, Bill.”
“It’
s kind of hard to calm down.”
“Believe me, I know.” She glanced at Tom out of the corner of her eye. “Nobody knows that more than me. But shouting won’t save Sally.”
“Then what will?”
“I’m not sure, but we’re making progress. We know more now than we did a few hours ago, as well as have more...” She glared at Gan for a moment. “...allies helping us.”
I turned away from her and took a deep breath. “I know, and I’ve been trying to do my part, too.”
“Nobody is saying you haven’t.”
“I know that, but...” This next part was going to be a bit awkward, considering how the relationships within our small circle had evolved. “I’ve been trying to reach Sheila. If these pulses have been affecting you guys, maybe they’ve been doing the same to her. If so, I have a feeling we’re going to want the Icon by our side when we face off against whatever is waiting for us.”
Gan stepped in, interjecting herself between me and Christy as if she wasn’t there. Ugh! “I would expect no less from you, my love, but I think you’ll be disappointed nevertheless.”
“Don’t start,” I snapped. “Things have changed between us. Sheila and I ... well, she’s not on your hit list anymore.”
“As I am well aware,” Gan replied. “What I meant is that you’ll be disappointed to learn the reason why you’ve been unable to reach her.”
“And that would be?”
“Because she was with those who attacked my facility in Damascus.”
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
Gan pulled out a cell phone, proving she’d definitely modernized since last I’d seen her. She scrolled to the video app then held the screen up for the rest of us to see. “This footage may upset you, my love, but I thought you should see it with your own eyes.” Despite the words of concern, her tone was chipper. Whatever was going on, she wasn’t exactly broken up over it.
Black and white CCTV footage played on the screen. This had to be the aftermath of the attack she’d told us about. Downed security guards, broken doors, and smashed electrical equipment could all be seen, albeit it didn’t look like any mosque I’d ever heard of.
Strange Days (Bill of the Dead Book 1) Page 12
