Lucius continued to talk about the performance. “A story of tragedy, despair and also…of love.”
“Love? I didn’t see any love in the performance,” said the theatre conductor.
“You misunderstand my interpretation of love,” replied Lucius. “The story of Dracula’s love is truly a gripping tale.”
“Sure…if you say so,” said the conductor who sounded very puzzled. He continued on “So how was Tokyo? I hear it was eventful?”
“Yes the vermin was in attendance,” answered Lucius.
“What do you mean?” asked the conductor.
“You know vermin? Rats I believe you call them? And like all vermin, if you leave a few bread crumbs, they shall fall into your lap.”
“You always speak in riddles,” replied the conductor, sounding more confused than ever.
“It is of no importance to you little man. Did you obtain the artefact I requested?”
“Yes sir it is in the back, shall I get for you?”
“Yes,” said Lucius candidly.
The conductor began to set off towards the curtain, which led off the stage. As the conductor walked alongside Lucius, the silver-haired man held out his arm into the conductor’s path, stopping him in his tracks.
“One more thing I wanted to ask?”
“What is it?” asked the conductor.
“Did you see a strange young man, and a pretty lady in the crowd today. Two newcomers?” asked Lucius, who referred to Chad and Stacey.
“Pretty lady? Shall I arrange a meeting?”
During Lucius’ stay on Earth, he had become acquainted with many women it would seem, and the conductor appeared to know Lucius a little better than a theatre conductor simply speaking to a regular audience member. “A meeting shall not be required.”
“As you wish.”
“Strange, the male who was with her. I have long searched for him,” said Lucius, who sounded deeply intrigued by Chad’s presence at the theatre.
“Do you know him?” asked the conductor.
“You might say that,” said Lucius. The silver haired man now began to talk to himself, just as if he was talking to another person. “Never would I have imagined running into you in a place like this my old friend. It must be fate.”
“Sir you must be tired,” said the conductor who began to think that it was fatigue behind the silver-haired man’s strange behaviour.
Lucius continued to speak aloud to himself. “Soon Dracula will enter your dreams, and your dreams shall become your reality.”
The conductor, who was now clearly freaked out by Lucius’ odd behaviour, began to tiptoe away to the curtain, which led off the stage. Lucius, without even turning around to face the man, shouted out to him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
The conductor began to stutter. “I…erm…”
“Bring me the artefact, I must make haste.”
“So you’re not staying?” asked the conductor, who didn’t sound too disappointed by the prospect of this.
“No I will be leaving tonight, the vermin must be done away with before they become more than simply a pest.”
The conductor stood for a few moments, again trying to figure out the riddles in which Lucius spoke in. “Bring me the artefact!” shouted Lucius, who was becoming increasingly impatient with the conductor.
“Yes sir!” answered the man; fear was now edged in his voice. He rushed off through the curtain in order retrieve the object that Lucius demanded.
Lucius, who was alone for the first time, gave a distinct look of displeasure. He simply wished to reign destruction on this world, but Kanto, his king, had grander plans for Earth and so the white-haired man had to bid his time. The conductor rushed back onto the stage carrying a stone gem, around the size of a fist. He placed it into Lucius’ hand and smiled, almost like a dog would do when returning a stick that had been thrown by its master. The conductor simply looked for praise or some acknowledgement that Lucius was no longer angry with him.
“Leave!” Lucius barked at him. The man quickly rushed off back through the curtain. Lucius slowly walked to the edge of the stage, near to where the front row of seats where stationed. He held out the stone in his right hand. The stone omitted a yellow glow, similar to that of which the dagger with the dragon shaped head had done that James had discovered in the tower over two years earlier.
Lucius began speaking aloud to himself one final time. “Almost two years of waiting and I am almost ready to strike! The tension is unbearable!” Lucius smiled in excitement. “Sweet dreams.”
#
Later that night, Chad and Stacey lay asleep in the large double bed in Chad’s apartment. The blanket covered the lower half of them, however, the top half of their naked bodies were exposed to the world. Still, they looked comfortable enough. Although the bed was large Chad and Stacey used little of the space available to them, choosing to huddle together at the side of the bed in which Chad was closest to the edge. Stacey slept like a baby, as she always did when she was in Chad’s arms. He had a strong arm around her shoulder and she rested her head on his chest, very near his heart. The pair had been asleep for a few hours, exhausted from the day’s events and also the passion of their lovemaking.
Whilst Stacey slept peacefully, Chad was a direct contrast to his girlfriend. He was sweating, moving his head anxiously from side to side. Chad was deep in a dream. He had started having strange dreams around six months ago and they had continued on ever since. The dreams were becoming more intense as time passed.
Deep inside the subconscious of Chad’s mind, he dreamt about a dark place, somewhere he had never seen before. However, the place seemed somehow familiar. He could often hear a voice deep within himself speak to him during these dreams. Tonight was no different.
“Where are you?” a strange and older sounding voice asked him.
“What?” Chad said, from deep within his subconscious.
Chad could see mountains and forests and swamps in the distance. His vision was limited however as the land was covered by the shade of darkness.
“Any idea how you got here?” asked the strange voice.
“Got where?” Chad now found himself walking up a long narrow path through the mountains.
“What can you remember?”
“I don’t understand,” answered Chad.
“Let me show you.”
The images Chad could see within the dream now became more intense and violent. He saw a dark castle through the mist. He then saw shadows lurking through dark empty valleys. He saw death. He saw flashes of what seemed like a huge battle, people having their necks snapped and their bodies being left for strange beasts to feast upon during the conflict. The sound of steel hitting steel could be heard from all directions. An image of a golden axe flashed before him. He saw a man with the evilest of eyes peering at him. He saw…
“Chad you’re talking in your sleep,” said Stacey.
Chad woke up.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
“I’m fine!” snapped Chad.
Stacey looked at him closer. “Are you sure?”
“I said I’m fine bitch!” shouted Chad. An uncontrollable rage filled his soul. It had come upon him suddenly in an instant. His eyes narrowed and his face snarled with anger. He realised that for some reason he now held a knife in his left hand. He turned to Stacey and thrust the blade into her chest without warning.
Chad screamed as he woke up for real this time. Stacey was still fast asleep alongside him. There was no sign of the knife anywhere. It had all been a horrible nightmare. Chad sat up in the bed. He was breathing heavily, distraught by what he had just seen. He wiped a huge amount of sweat off his forehead and climbed out of the bed. He put on his boxer shorts, which lay on the floor at the bedside and made his way out through a glass door at the far end of the room, which led onto the balcony.
Chad walked out into the open air. The night was cold, but this what not the reason for the chill that ran through h
im. The moonlight shone onto his athletic body, clearly showing the definition of the toned muscles he possessed. He stood at the balcony’s edge, placing both hands over his face.
Stacey had now awoken and realised she was alone in the bed. She looked around the room and noticed the balcony door was ajar. The girl climbed out of bed and placed one of the smaller bed sheets around her slender figure. Stacey made her way onto the balcony, right away seeing her boyfriend leaning on the edge of it. “Chad?”
Her boyfriend quickly tried to hide his dismay of the nightmare. I can’t tell her what I’ve just seen. He tried to act as if everything was fine. “Hey baby, what are you doing awake?”
“I woke up and you weren’t there. What are you doing out here?” she asked.
“Oh, I couldn’t sleep.”
Stacey could tell when he was lying and she could sense he was a little shaken up. Chad had always been the definition of confidence in his mannerisms. In fact, this was the first time that Stacey had seen him so quiet. Something was bothering him, and she knew it. “What’s the matter?”
Chad pulled her close and the pair hugged. “I’ve just missed you.” He kissed her. After a few moments, they broke off the kiss.
“Me too, I wish we didn’t have to sneak around like this.”
“It won’t be forever,” said Chad, trying his best to reassure her. “Everything will be fine, I promise.” The pair hugged more intensely. As they hugged, a confused look came upon Chad’s face. He didn’t wish to worry Stacey, but the fact of the matter was that he was terrified by the strange dream he had experienced. The dream had hit him so hard that for the first time in his life, he was afraid…
Chapter 9: The Man In White
Sophie walked out of a dark run-down alleyway, which led onto a street in the city of Tokyo. It had been two days since she and James had escaped from the Miyamoto law firm. Sophie hadn’t spoken much in the days since. She had suffered a serious concussion courtesy of the baseball bat shot to the head she received from one of the law firm’s security guards. However, this was not the only reason for her lack of enthusiasm. She felt bad about the way she and Marty had parted ways. The agent cared about him dearly but she knew now that she could never see him again. He deserved better. I wish I could see him one last time, just to say sorry. James was waiting for her at the edge of the alley.
“You know, I’ve lived in this city for the past year and a half, I can handle myself around here,” she said slightly annoyed. Since the incident at the law firm, James had kept a watching brief over her, like a father watching a child.
“Hey, you’re one of Tokyo’s most wanted now. I hear they have a cash reward out for you,” replied James. He referred to the fact that the Miyamoto firm was now looking for Sophie. Since being outed as a spy, she had become the number one enemy of the law firm.
As one of the most powerful companies in the whole of Japan, the company had used its influence and contacts to issue a warrant for her arrest. She was to be considered an enemy of Japan and the warrant on the agent’s head didn’t include her to be delivered alive. The World Order had few friends in Japan, and thus did not have the jurisdiction, as they would in many other countries, to overrule the warrant.
Sophie had been to see a ‘friendly’ doctor, in order to help with her concussion. James and Sophie began to walk slowly along the street, taking care to ensure they were not being followed. They knew that until they were out of the country, Sophie would not be safe. The pair wore shades and hats in order to hide their faces.
“So how was he?” asked James, referring to the doctor that had just treated her.
“He was creepy,” replied Sophie, who had an unsatisfied expression on her face.
“The professor recommended him. He’s meant to be good at what he does,” James said.
“I don’t doubt that, but he was seedy and smelt awful.”
James began to laugh. The pair continued the small talk until they reached a safe house. This was the location in which James had been staying since his arrival in the city. It was a small studio in the basement of a building inside the main city. The studio was not well kept at all. Fast food wrappers and other pieces of paper were scattered all around the place. Sophie thought that a squatter could easily have lived here if she had not known that James had been occupying the premises. Inside the studio, was the pilot of the helicopter who flew the pair to safety during their escape two days earlier. He was an older looking man, far older than James and Sophie. He was in his fifties, had a balding head, and a goatee filled his chin. He was a Russian man named Boris.
Boris had worked as a pilot for the World Order for over twenty-five years and was one of the best aircraft pilots around. “Headquarters have been in touch, they want you to get in contact,” he said in his strong Russian accent as the pair walked in.
“Have they found anything?” asked James.
“They didn’t say,” replied the Russian. The man wasn’t much for small talk, being strictly all business. During their journey to Japan, which consisted of a helicopter flight with just the two of them, James had tried to start many a conversation, only for Boris to filter it back to the mission. His facial expression never changed. His eyes were always stern and his voice was always deep. They had absolutely nothing in common and James had given up trying to befriend the man. James took no offence to this, though.
That’s just the way it goes sometimes. Some of my fellow agents never share their feelings, thought James. Being an agent could often be a lonely life. Some of his colleagues preferred not to make friends.
James opened up a briefcase, which was sat on a small table in the middle of the apartment. Inside the case were a monitor and several touch screen controls. It was not too dissimilar to a laptop. James reached into the case and tossed Sophie and Boris a pair of wireless earpieces, which they clipped on. The devices within the earpieces enabled each of them to hook up onto a feed that enabled them to interact with headquarters from any location in the world. The devices were interlinked, enabling many people to have a dual conversation via the secure link.
Since acquiring the file disks from the vault at the Miyamoto building, James had downloaded the information onto the computer’s mainframe at headquarters. That is, all of which excluding the other file he had found. This was the file that spoke of James and Chad by name, which contained their adoption papers to Bel Grave Orphanage. This file remained a secret and James intended to share this with Chad only.
James, Sophie and Boris hooked up with headquarters via digital link with their wireless devices. Thousands of miles away in London, Sergeant Cooper and Professor Milton were stood inside headquarters in what looked like a control room. There were plenty of people operating computers and stood at various posts. It looked very chaotic inside the control room and the two men stood in front of several large screens that had images of maps, locations and personnel from all corners of the world.
“Good evening, or good day as it will be over there,” spoke the stern voice of Sergeant Cooper. The sergeant referred to the time difference between London and Tokyo. It was early afternoon in Tokyo, but in London it was around 3 am. “Retrieving these files has proved most helpful. You have done well agents.”
“Thank you, sir,” spoke the three agents in synchronisation.
The professor now spoke. He began to brief the agents of the upcoming mission. James had not seen the old man for several months and was happy to at least hear the sound of his voice again. The same was true for the professor, however, both remained professional and did not acknowledge this. They both knew that a briefing via digital link was neither the time nor the place for a catch-up.
“The disks provided us with the locations and targets for a group named the Order Of Lux. We have intercepted many of the areas detailed within the files over the past two days and have rounded up several men from the group.”
James was impressed. It seemed that headquarters had been busy.
�
��Now onto a more pressing matter,” continued the professor. “We have long tracked a white-haired man, known to be the leader of this group. His name and identity still remain a mystery, however, according to our sources, and the data we have gathered from the disks, it seems he is targeting something in the area of Sydney, Australia. We are unsure of what this is, however, our agent in Sydney has confirmed our findings and is currently tracking the man.”
“Why haven’t we reprimanded the target?” asked Sophie, who wasn’t really in the mood for this briefing. Her head was still pounding from the concussion, and all this conversation was not helping.
Sergeant Cooper came into the conversation. “Because agent, we have been chasing this bastard for almost two years. Every time we’ve been within striking distance of him he seems to disappear, without leaving any trail for us to follow. It’s taken six months for us to get a fix on him again. In fact, if it weren’t for James obtaining these files from your law firm, we might never have found him. We need to ensure that when we make our move this time, we get the job done.”
“So what do you propose sir?” asked James, who was intrigued as to how one man could stay off the organisations radar for so long. The World Order had resources and means beyond any other power on the planet. For him to elude capture for so long is truly an impressive feat, James thought to himself.
“Professor?” said Sergeant Cooper, inviting the man to speak.
“Right,” said the professor. “What we intend to do is send as many top agents as we can to the targets location. We cannot miss our chance. Since the Miyamoto firm has learned of agent Sophie’s true identity we must assume that we don’t have long before the target is made aware of our intentions. The fact he is in the same location that these files say he will be, tells us that he is still unaware of our possession of the disks. This is a fortunate turn of events. However, if we fail in our objective of seizing the man now, we may never get another chance.”
Clash Of Worlds Page 17
