by J. C. Diem
“Where is she going?” Higgins asked.
“To kill some imps,” Ishida replied.
It was a good guess and an accurate one. I could sense a small pocket of freshly converted human clones somewhere to the east and hurried towards them. Mindful that being electrocuted wouldn’t kill me but it would probably mess up my hair, I avoided the rails.
Several subway stations later, snoring rumbled down the tunnel from slumbering imps. Thirty-seven former humans lay on the floor. Far less intelligent than the imps I was used to back in what I thought of as the good old days, none had bothered to find makeshift clothing. Their naked, sweaty, blood stained grey flesh was a mass of muscle. Some had breasts and all had human genitalia. I wondered if these clones could reproduce like the original ones I’d destroyed. Instinct told me they couldn’t so at least that was one less thing to worry about.
Identical of face and form, these particular clones had a pig-like snout, fangs that protruded from their top and bottom jaws and the typical long ears that were curled at the ends. None stirred as I stepped amongst them. My swords slid in and out of their hearts and each died soundlessly and painlessly. The humans they’d consumed would have suffered a far more terrorizing and painful death. A flicker of pity for the civilians who had already suffered and those who eventually would welled up. I stamped down on it before it could grow into the compassion that Sanderson had accused me of no longer possessing.
Working my way through the tunnels, I eradicated dozens of small groups of both human and Kveet imps before I reached a far larger band of both types of clones mixed in together. Standing in the shadows of the subway tunnel, I studied the gigantic ex-humans and the tiny Kveet clones. They slept peacefully together, which meant they had been ordered not to attack each other. I’d hoped they would kill their rivals on sight but that likelihood had just gone out the window.
I’d lost track of time while I’d been hunting and the sun would shortly tuck itself away for the day. I didn’t have enough time to stab this entire group of imps to death before they woke up so I’d have to improvise.
Remembering how messy it could be when I unleashed the power of my holy marks, I stripped off and left my clothes and swords a safe distance away from the mess that I was about to create. Naked and seemingly unarmed, I walked to the centre of the slumbering mob and dropped to my knees. I glanced at my hands before placing one on the head of a Kveet and the other against a former human. Twin indentations in the shape of crosses marked my palms. The original cross that had given me the marks had been large and plain. A much smaller silver cross in the centre had contained exquisitely detailed filigree. The delicate metal lacework had been perfectly rendered on my palms. They had been one of the first signs that I was the dreaded Mortis. No matter how many times my body was destroyed and repaired itself, the holy marks always came back. They were my greatest weapon and, with them, I would never be truly unarmed.
Concentrating, I felt the power build up inside me. The imps began to wake as the ground trembled. I let the power grow until it felt like I would burst if I didn’t let go. Let go I did and every imp in the area exploded in a barrage of grey flesh.
Splattered from head to toe in ooze, I stood and surveyed the devastation. Bright yellow blood and gobbets of flesh covered the walls, the floor and me. The imps I’d faced before we’d been sent into outer space had had black blood rather than fluorescent yellow. Then again, they had been vampires before finally being transformed into imps. The nanobots the droid fed to the First must have gone bad over time, my subconscious mused, echoing a thought I’d had earlier. The crash landed droid had had to wait for a very long time for humans to evolve before they’d become intelligent enough to be converted. It was possible that the micro-robots had malfunctioned due to extreme age.
Right from the start, our physiology had been different from normal clones. Instead of being turned into an imp straight away, the First had simply died then been reborn three nights later as the undead. It had taken thousands of years for him to finally turn into an imp. The vampires he and his disciples had created had retained their human forms but their shadows had been corrupted by the ooze that clogged their veins. Their shadows had become imps instead of their bodies. Only when they were called to the First had he been able to bring their inner imps out from within them and convert their flesh into his image.
Flicking my hands, more blood speckled the already slick ground. I’d need to take another shower to clean it all off. Or do I? Since I was alone and none of my friends or allies were there to witness my possible failure, I tried an experiment.
Instead of breaking my body down into pieces, I envisioned it becoming tiny dust motes just like when Luc had shot me with a death ray. Obeying my mental command, I instantly lost form and became smaller than ashes and as light as the air itself. It took some practice but I was able to glide across the subway and over to my clothing. It only took a second to reform and when I did, I was squeaky clean.
“Now that’s going to come in handy.” I mentally patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. It was a neat trick and I was glad it no longer took me several minutes to break down into chunks before finally becoming tiny motes. I only wished I had the same kind of control over my clothes as well. Alas, they weren’t a part of me and were beyond my ability to manipulate.
Dressing quickly, I retrieved my swords and jogged back through the tunnels to the others. I wasn’t sure if Sanderson was relieved or disappointed when I appeared. Luc spared me a glance then dismissed me completely. Igor rolled his eyes, probably wishing he could smack both of us up the back of the head. If it could have helped our situation, I would have gladly lined up to be walloped.
“How many imps did you kill, chérie?” Geordie asked. He was doing his best to ignore the tension in the air. The sidelong glances he kept sneaking at the soldiers told me he trusted them about as much as I did.
“A few hundred. Not enough to make a real difference.” His face fell at my glum reply. “At least these still work,” I held up my palms to show him the crosses and he automatically flinched away. He knew they couldn’t hurt him, unless I willed them to, but their deadliness was well known amongst our kind. They would be difficult for any vampire to grow comfortable with.
“Why aren’t you covered in intestines?” Ishida asked.
“I learned a new trick,” I replied and winked. We were talking softly enough that the soldiers weren’t in danger of overhearing us.
The teen glanced towards our allies and nodded that he understood my reluctance to explain myself. “Are you aware that you are speaking in Japanese?” he asked me.
I laughed at his joke but none of my friends laughed with me. He isn’t kidding, I realized. I’d noticed that he had reverted to his native language but I hadn’t realized I’d somehow managed to respond in kind.
“Where are the closest droids?” Geordie asked me casually in French.
“Six blocks away,” I replied in the same language.
Igor was next. “Have the clones begun their attacks on the humans yet?”
“Not quite. They are just beginning to leave their shelters now.” My Russian was flawless.
Gregor gave Luc a pointed look, which he ignored. It didn’t look like I would get to test my ability to speak his native tongue.
“When did you acquire this new ability?” Kokoro asked. She spoke in English for everyone’s benefit.
“Probably after I was shot with the nanobot guns.” I couldn’t think of anything else that had happened to me that could have wrought such a change. It seemed my brain rather than my body had been altered by the infusion of micro robots in my system this time.
“How come you always get the cool powers?” Geordie complained with a pout.
“Because I’m Mortis, queen of death,” was my dry response. “Believe me, I’d switch with you in a heartbeat if I could.” He was in no danger of that happening. My heart had ceased to beat when my life had ended and the chance
s of it ever beating again were non-existent.
The teen debated the pros and cons of being a dreaded figure of legend then shook his head. “No, thanks. I prefer being a nobody.” So did I but I hadn’t had any say in the matter and my fate had been sealed long before I’d even been born.
Sanderson stopped just ahead and waved for us to catch up to him. “If you’re ready, we’ll head up to the surface,” he said when we reached him. He looked tired and I wondered how much sleep he and his troops had managed to grab. I might not be happy about being allied with the Americans but, unfortunately, we needed their firepower and his people had to be fit and ready to fight our mutual enemies. They would be useless if they fell asleep on the job. My friends and I were showing few signs of tiredness so far and I felt as fresh as if I’d just slept for an entire day. Somehow, I doubted the general would be happy if I pointed that out to him. He already had enough reasons to hate, fear and resent us. I didn’t need to rub our overall superiority to his species in his face.
·~·
Chapter Twelve
Slowed down by the weight of the ammunition they carried in their packs, as well as the other essentials they’d brought along, the soldiers could only move at a fast trot. When it came to the crunch, they could shed their backpacks if needed and move at a much quicker pace.
We vampires remained in a small group with a wide space between us and the soldiers. Most of the humans distrusted us and were intent on keeping their distance. Despite the treachery he’d doled out to our kind, Sanderson alone felt comfortable mingling with us. He fell into step beside Gregor. “None of your people have fed yet,” he pointed out.
“We no longer need to feed as often as we once did.”
“Why not?”
Gregor gave the soldier a measuring look. “Let’s just say it is a consequence of vacationing on Viltar.”
Our entire band of twenty-nine banished souls had fed on a Viltaran shortly after landing on the alien planet. It had been enough to partially reverse their starvation from drifting through space for a decade. Only we seven had fed far more deeply on the blood of our ancient ancestors the next time we’d cornered our enemy. My friends had gained immortality from their second feast. I’d already been unkillable and had only gained enhanced strength and speed.
“What other changes have happened to you?”
“Our eyes turn red when we’re angry,” Geordie said helpfully. It was a minor change that didn’t seem to have any benefit at all, apart from letting people know when we were mad, sad or in dire need of feeding our flesh hunger.
“We also sleep like humans now,” Ishida added. That was a far more useful change. Our bodies no longer shut down into a deathlike sleep which rendered us helpless during the day. Any vampire would kill for that particular talent.
Sanderson waited for more but no one else offered him any information. “That’s it? Nothing else has changed?”
“That’s it,” Igor said flatly. His expression dared the general to call him a liar. Proving he wasn’t stupid, the soldier increased his pace to catch up to his men again.
I’d been worried that Geordie would blurt out that they were all immortal now but I’d underestimated his level of maturity. We hadn’t discussed withholding how much we’d changed from our allies. We’d each individually decided it would be prudent to let them think we were more vulnerable than we actually were. Our truce with the humans was a precarious thing and it could end very abruptly if our fragile trust were to be broken.
While I’d been busy hunting down imps, Gregor had discussed strategy with the general. They’d agreed to continue to focus on the droids and attempt to eradicate them first. Gregor hadn’t yet passed on the information about how many more automatons and Kveet imps were waiting in the spaceship that hovered far above the city. We couldn’t do anything about them anyway and he didn’t want the soldiers to give up hope that they might come out of this alive.
I wasn’t the only one to notice a small group of soldiers break away from the others and move to the head of the pack. One glanced back almost guiltily as they moved out of our range of hearing. Gregor threw a glance at me, indicating that he was worried they might be plotting something. I shared his concern. “Do you want me to see if I can spy on them?” I whispered.
At his short nod, it was time to test out my newest skill. Concentrating on my right eye, it didn’t pop free of the socket as it usually did but simply disintegrated instead. Geordie made a startled noise and Igor put a finger to his lips to keep him quiet. Staying together in a tiny clump, the weightless eye particles floated towards the small group in the lead.
My eye reformed just enough for me to see the men foggily then descended to land on one of the soldier’s shoulders. Whole again, it held on with its optic nerves and peered down at the human’s hands. He and several others had appropriated death rays that had been dropped by fallen droids. Pushing buttons methodically, none had yet worked out how to use them but they eventually would.
Recalling my eye, the particles settled back into the empty socket and my orb became whole again. Ishida gave me a quick grin of appreciation at my new ability but Geordie’s was decidedly sickly. For a creature that drank blood to survive, he had an almost pathetically weak stomach at times.
“A few of the soldiers are trying to figure out how to use the death rays,” I reported quietly.
“How many do they have?” Gregor asked.
“I only saw six but they might have more.”
“Their ammunition will not last forever,” Luc pointed out to his old friend. He spoke so rarely now each time he opened his mouth it was a bit of a surprise. It occurred to me that I missed his company. I’d come to depend on him always being there and now that he wasn’t, I felt bereft. He might be here, close enough for me to touch but he had become inaccessible and distant.
“I fear the repercussions of humans getting their hands on Viltaran technology,” Gregor responded quietly.
“It’s far too late to worry about that now,” Geordie said despondently. “There are already lots of dead droids lying around in the streets above. Thousands of their weapons will be available for anyone to pick up by the time we finish killing them all.”
Bowing to the wisdom of someone who was three thousand years younger than him, Gregor reluctantly nodded. “You are right, Geordie. There is no use worrying about something that we cannot control.”
The teen beamed at the rare praise. When we’d first met, I’d thought of Geordie as childish and irreverent. Now that I knew him better, he was still childish and irreverent but I knew he was far wiser than he appeared. His heart might be on the wrong side of his body but it was large enough to encompass us all. The thought of losing him, or any of my friends, was too hideous to contemplate. Now that they were seemingly immortal, my fears for their safety had abated somewhat but they still hadn’t faded completely.
Gregor waited for the soldiers to stop for a brief rest before broaching the subject of the alien weaponry with Sanderson. “Would you like me to show your men how to use the Viltaran death rays that they have appropriated?”
Startled, Sanderson opened his mouth to deny the implied accusation that he’d been hiding the weapons from us, then thought better of it. We obviously knew about the secret they were trying to hide. “I’d appreciate it,” he said instead. “We need every weapon we can find and the alien weapons are fairly effective.”
The men I’d secretly spied on came forward at their commander’s wave. Gregor pulled his death ray out of his pocket and showed the men the correct buttons to press. One fired his newly acquired weapon at the ground and a long strip of metal tracks disappeared.
“Be careful where you point those things!” Sanderson barked. “I’d like to leave at least some of this city intact when we’re done.” A few of his soldiers laughed nervously, oblivious to the fact that their general was being serious. I wasn’t sure the man even had a sense of humour anymore. Maybe it had died sometime during
our battles with our previous enemies.
“To change the setting, push these two buttons and turn this.” Gregor demonstrated on his death ray and fired it at the tracks. It passed through the metal harmlessly this time. “You should all practice changing the settings but I strongly recommend you not to test it on each other,” he said dryly.
“You wouldn’t believe how painful it is to be disintegrated,” I said to the grinning men.
“You mean you’ve been shot by one of these?” Higgins asked. He always seemed to be just a few steps away from me. Maybe Sanderson thought I’d taken a shine to the corporal and had ordered him to hang around me to act as his spy. From the angle of the general’s head, he was listening in on our conversation.
“I was shot with one so I could escape quickly from a Viltaran death pit.”
“If you were disintegrated, then how are you still alive?”
“Didn’t your boss tell you?” Higgins should have figured it out after I told him I’d been blasted into ashes and thrown into a box. “I can’t die.” Stunned murmurs sounded and the word spread through their ranks in a hushed whisper.
“But that’s…” Higgins trailed off, lost for words.
“Awesome?” Geordie said to finish the soldier’s sentence. “I agree. Who wouldn’t want to live forever?” He put just enough wistfulness in his question to sound believable. Amusement danced in his eyes when he cut a glance towards me.
“I was going to say ‘impossible’,” Higgins replied, eyeing me with amazement.
“Nothing is impossible when it comes to Mortis,” Kokoro told the soldier. She received wide eyed stares at her pronouncement. I suspected many of the soldiers had a crush on the black haired, pale skinned former seer. None were stupid enough to make a move on her, since it was obvious she and Gregor were an item. They walked arm in arm, talking quietly most of the time. A lump tried to form in my throat that Luc tended to walk on the far side of the tunnel from me now. You’re going to have to come to grips with being dumped by him sooner or later, my subconscious pointed out. Screw you, I mentally shouted at it and it fled back to the deep recesses of my mind.
