Glancing down at me, he inclined his head.
I let him try for a few weeks though. I wanted to know his ideology, what exactly his deal was. I asked a lot of questions, pretending to be religious. I knew what buttons to push with him, just like he did with me, since I’d had an owner who was a hardcore Myther.
Shrugging, he added,
Plus, I had that terrorist group, like I said. They were seer supremacists, too. I figured out pretty quick that your uncle’s ideology is kind of a fusion of those two things… a seer supremacist take on the Myther religion.
Still massaging my side, he added,
There were human supremacist versions of that religion, too.
I nodded, leaning back into his chest.
I found myself following the movies he showed me from his mind as much as his actual words. I saw him with Charles in a teak-walled bar in Saigon, those six seers surrounding him in expensive Western clothes. I saw my uncle in front, wearing a light-colored linen suit, looking every bit the rich colonial.
The view changed––from day to night, to different, foreign-looking clothes, an expensive-looking house, humans with diamond rings and jewelry, with odd versions of suits that were vaguely reminiscent of styles from the fifties in the Earth I knew.
I saw a younger, leaner, less-tall version of Black also wearing one of those suits, with a collar around his neck. I saw him in a bathroom, arguing with a big, tattooed, Chinese-looking seer who held some kind of cutting tool.
I realized I must be seeing what he called Old Earth.
Their argument stayed quiet, but I saw it escalate, most of the anger on Black’s side. I saw the Chinese seer wince at some of Black’s words.
I got the name of his handler on Old Earth.
Wreg. His name had been Wreg.
Black glanced at me, the Black from now.
Yes, he sent. That’s right. Wreg. He recruited me.
I nodded, still looking at the big male Chinese seer with the elaborate tattoos. He made Black look small, at least back then.
Even so, I felt that warmth of heart Black described in the older male.
Your uncle’s vision for the world is one where the human population is eventually under the total control of seers, Black went on, glancing at me. He wants behind-the-scenes control of all the major human governments, at the very least. He wants this in part to ensure seers are never exposed publicly, but mainly to keep the human populations and powers in check. He had at least started toying with the idea of “reduced population” events, as a part of that… meaning ways of culling the humans down to more manageable numbers, particularly in the more advanced countries, where they pose more of a threat.
Squeezing me briefly against his chest, he sighed.
He didn’t tell me about vampires living here, but he alluded to a larger, more serious threat, one that might require actual extermination. At the time, I assumed he meant the United States, since he clearly thought the human population would be easier to control through authoritarian regimes. He had a plan to increase the birthrate of seers, even to potentially clone some of us to increase our numbers.
He gave me a grim look, from only a few inches away.
He also had his seers actively looking for “doors” to Old Earth, and working on tech that might punch a hole through dimensions, to bring more of our people here.
Wrapping his hand around my shoulder, he leaned his jaw on my shoulder.
All of this was staged out, Miri. He had a whole sequence planned. As a part of that, he made it clear he expected every seer on this version of Earth to rally to him. He strongly implied that if any of us didn’t get on board by the time he’d reached a certain “phase,” we would be viewed as enemies of the race. He didn’t say outright he’d kill those of us who resisted him, but he strongly implied we’d be neutralized in some way.
I frowned, turning over Black’s words.
From what I knew of Charles, none of this surprised me all that much, unfortunately. Hearing and seeing the detail on it from Black’s perspective definitely clarified a few things, but I couldn’t say the basic philosophy surprised me.
Grunting, Black added,
Any “defectors” or “race traitors” would still be cloned, willingly or not. Your uncle wanted as much genetic diversity in bio-matter as he could get, in the event the seers living here ended up being the only seers he had to work with. He clearly hoped more would pass through the doors… but he planned for both scenarios. He asked me for a DNA sample within two days of introducing himself to me.
Grimacing a little, he turned his head, looking at me.
Honestly? I think his ultimate goal was to open the doors to Old Earth and bring every single seer he could persuade back here with him. He saw this Earth, meaning New Earth, as one he could easily conquer, especially with the current generation of seers. On Old Earth, we lost all our power early on––mostly due to cultural issues, but sight-restraint tech played a role. There was also a fair bit of infighting among seer factions, which is why your uncle had a zero-tolerance policy for dissent among the seers here.
Shrugging, he added,
On Old Earth, seers still controlled a fair bit behind the scenes, but it was a human-dominated world, both in terms of population and power. Your uncle was dead against that being the case here, no matter what he had to do to take power in the end.
Black’s mental voice fell to a mutter.
Truthfully, he wasn’t wrong. Not in terms of his assumptions. If even a fraction of the seers from Old Earth came to this version of Earth, militarized and trained, as they were by the time I left… it would change everything, Miri. Everything.
Exhaling, he clicked under his breath, shaking his head.
The humans here wouldn’t know what the fuck hit them. In all honesty, I think a lot of them would be wiped out––especially if they tried to fight back. More likely, they’d just be shooting each other, pushed to think the enemy were others of their own kind. There’s no possible way they could adjust in time to a trained army of militarized seers. It’s just not possible, Miri. Not in a world that knows nothing about us or what we’re capable of.
Frowning as he studied my eyes, he added,
I suspect if your uncle got the numbers he needed, he’d go after the big countries first. The United States. Russia. China. Japan. Germany. The U.K. Within months, the number of human governments not under control by seers would drop to almost none.
Exhaling, he went on, his mental voice flat.
Probably not much would change visibly at first, he sent, shrugging with one hand. Over time, they’d slowly take over the societies of each of those countries. They might eventually relegate humans to reservations, like your people, give them a kind of second-class status. I think it would probably be worse than that, though. I think humans would likely be enslaved to our race, like we were to humans on Old Earth. A lot of seers are pretty bitter. A lot of them are emotionally fucked up from what happened to us there, too.
Looking at me, he frowned.
His mental voice grew lower, almost apologetic.
I chose to let a lot of my anger at humans go, Miri. I chose that not long after I got here, to New Earth. I chose to see those humans I left behind as products of their environment, maybe even more than I was.
Clenching his jaw briefly, he looked out at the dark shore, shrugging again.
As you can probably guess, a lot of seers didn’t make that choice––to forgive, to move on. To view humans as our fellow travelers in all this. Maybe a lot of them couldn’t make that choice––psychologically, I mean. Your uncle definitely never got there, in terms of live and let live. I’m sure he has his reasons for that. I’m sure it’s not entirely his fault. But it means he brought all that hatred, resentment and trauma here with him.
I closed my eyes against the warm Louisiana air, lost in visions of that other Earth.
I saw seers walking around in business suits wearing collars. I saw seers carr
ying rifles and wearing uniforms in the trenches of what looked like World War I. I saw them in uniforms that looked an awful lot like Nazi uniforms from World War II, and in all-black uniforms I didn’t recognize at all. I saw technology I didn’t understand, and entire, light-filled battles that seemed to occur only in the psychic space of the seers.
I saw Black.
I saw him again in that razor-wire pen as a kid, hit with cattle prods by guards, beaten, dragged through the mud by his hair. I saw him holding a rifle, firing alongside that Chinese seer, Wreg, the big one with all the tattoos.
I saw and felt the anger on all those seers who worked beside him and with him.
I felt their determination to take back their world, to save their species.
I felt their pain, their heartbreak.
Suddenly, it made a lot of sense why so many seers from that other Earth rallied to my uncle’s side when they got here. It made sense his ideology was so appealing to them, even his religious fanaticism, since it was a seer’s religion––if one that got corrupted and warped by trauma, by resentment, by years and even generations of abuse.
It also made sense to me now, why my uncle and many of his seers would view Black’s assimilation into human society as a kind of betrayal.
So what does he want now, do you think? I sent. Now that the door is closed?
Black exhaled.
I honestly don’t know. My guess is, he’s changed his plans. I’m thinking now that maybe saving the seers of Old Earth was a much bigger part of his overall strategy and vision than I’d fully realized. I also think he’d been biding his time in some respects, waiting on building up seer numbers in some way before he took on the vampires for real. Due to his religious beliefs, he might have been waiting for the return of the Dragon… even of the Bridge and Sword.
I sent him a pulse of puzzlement.
In response, he sent me a flood of new images: symbols mostly, but also old books that looked religious, robed seers conducting rituals, paintings, statues.
It’s a part of seer mythology on Old Earth, he explained. A big part of what the Mythers believed while I was still there. The specifics are complicated, doc… too complicated to get into right now. But basically it’s your run of the mill apocalyptic end-of-the-world crap. The Myths talked about doors, specifically doors to other worlds, so your uncle probably thought he was part of those prophecies in some way, since being transported here.
My jaw hardened as I turned over his words.
And now you think he’s pulling out the stops, is that it? I sent. That he’s given up on waiting for his prophets and gods, and plans to do it all himself?
Black hesitated, then made that gesture with his hand I was beginning to think had to mean “yes.”
He nodded at the same time, if somewhat reluctantly.
I think the door closing might have caused him to reevaluate his timeline, at the very least. It’s possible he sees the current state of the vampire race as a vulnerability he needs to exploit. With their new leader imprisoned, their old leader dead, most of the vampires scattered, or congregated in remote places like this… and no big influx of reinforcements coming from Old Earth to aid the seers… maybe Charles decided he could no longer wait to make his move. I think he’s going forward with his plan now, using the seers he’s got. Maybe he’s even convinced himself he has to, before the vampires decide to wipe us out for good.
I frowned. Still thinking, I watched the water ripple off the bow and back behind us in the dark. My eyes traveled up, following the shadows of the tree-lined shore as we passed, without really seeing any of it.
I found myself acutely aware of Black massaging my back and the base of my neck and shoulders with strong, precise fingers.
How can he? I said finally. With the numbers he’s got, I mean. Is that even possible? How could he even really stand up to the vampires, with the numbers he’s got? Much less the entire human race?
Glancing down at my face with a frown, Black nodded slowly.
I think it is possible, he admitted. It’s a long shot, but if he thinks this is the only window he’s got, it’s not totally crazy to try this now.
I frowned, considering arguing the point as to whether it was crazy or not.
Black went on when I didn’t.
It’s likely that he plans on playing the two races off on one another, compensating for the low numbers of seers by using humans… at least wherever he can. That’s more or less how he operated in Vietnam. He wasn’t trying to win the war for the North Vietnamese, or even the Russians. He simply wanted both sides to kill as many humans as possible. His teams would commit horrific atrocities, then spread rumors among the humans on both sides that the other side had done it. He wanted humans to kill one another, so he didn’t have to.
Likely feeling me grimace, Black held me tighter, adding,
He got involved in a lot of conflicts that way, probably a lot more than I’m directly aware of. After Vietnam, I found evidence of his involvement in more than a dozen wars, revolutions, dictatorships of whatever kind, ethnic cleansings… even disease outbreaks, since seers can’t contract most of the viruses and bacterial infections humans are vulnerable to.
He looked over at me, adding,
I had the Colonel change all the security protocols on lab facilities that conducted bio-weapons and/or disease research. Not only here, but in other parts of the world where we had an influence. I knew it was a pretty weak hope, though, that we could keep Charles out, if he really wanted inside. I still worry about him going that route, frankly.
I looked up, frowning. Disease you mean? I sent. You think he might try to start some kind of pandemic?
He nodded, going back to massaging my neck with his fingers.
It’s the most efficient way to cull a population without destroying the livability of the planet, he sent, matter of fact. Also, there are comparatively fewer variables involved, in that it doesn’t depend on human psychology so much.
Still thinking, turning over his words, I sent,
So he got the Colonel out of the way first? So he could implement his plan?
The thought made me feel queasy.
Black hugged me tighter against him.
I think so, yes, he sent. Pausing, he added, It’s logical. It’s what I would have done.
I nodded, thinking. I still felt like I was catching up to a degree, forming some kind of complete picture of my uncle and Black in all of this.
But you don’t think he’s allied with Brick? I clarified after another beat. Or any faction in the vampire clan? Why wouldn’t he use them to kill off some of the humans, like he did in Vietnam? Play both sides off the other?
Black frowned, still holding me against his chest.
I think he will, but not by allying with vampires directly, he sent after another pause. It’s more likely he’ll do it by manipulating humans. Your uncle is genuinely afraid of vampires, Miri… and he can’t push them like he can humans, or erase their minds.
So how do you explain Brick, then? I sent, looking up at him, pursing my lips. Someone had to have told the vampires he was being moved.
Black shrugged, still massaging my back with the hand not holding me against him.
I think someone else told them, he sent simply, exhaling. I think the most likely explanation is that Brick or one of the other vampire clans still has a mole inside Charles’ camp. Whoever that mole is, they’re feeding intel back to Brick’s people. Which means they’re probably a loyalist to Brick himself.
Giving me a grim look, he shrugged again.
That’s how they knew Brick was about to be moved, he sent. That’s how they knew where he was being taken… and by who.
I turned that over too, nodding slowly.
It wouldn’t have to be a mole in Charles’ immediate camp, I pointed out. It could be the human faction in the Pentagon. Whoever Charles has helping him with all this.
Thinking about my words, Black shook his head.
No, doc. Well… maybe, he amended. But it’s doubtful.
Why?
Glancing down at me, he stroked my hair back from my face, kissing my cheek.
Your uncle would have his seers controlling that end of things, he explained. Security would be tight as hell to avoid leaks––especially at this stage of rollout, where secrecy and surprise are everything. He would erase every human who knew anything. He would scan every one of them, repeatedly, for any sign of vampire connections. He might even kill some humans who knew too much, if he worried he couldn’t erase it all.
Shaking his head, Black clicked under his breath.
As strange as it sounds, it’s harder to disguise a vampire as a human than it is to disguise a vampire as a seer. Seers expect to hit walls and mental blocks on a fellow seer. Those kinds of blocks and empty spaces are far more noticeable on a human.
Shrugging, he added,
It’s definitely possible Charles has recruited some humans to his cause, yes. There are always those who will try to get in on the gravy train for a regime change––even one that goes directly against their own people. But I seriously doubt any human could be acting as a mole for Brick’s people without Charles knowing about it.
Nodding, I found myself getting what he was saying.
It made sense.
So what did you need my help on? I glanced up at him, smiling. My thoughts held an edge of nerves, but my words were faintly teasing. It seems like you already have a pretty good handle on what’s happening. The high level, at least.
Pausing when he clicked at me in faint irritation, I added,
You wanted to come here, thinking the vampires know something about Charles’ coup attempt, is that it? Are you thinking you might cut a deal with them? After what you did to their king? Rolling my eyes a little, I let out a snort. Or are you just hoping to catch one and let it feed on you so you can read it?
I’d been kidding about that last part.
After I sent it at him, though, I felt dead silence in his mind.
Losing my smile, I turned, staring up at him.
Jesus, Black. You’re not serious.
In Black We Trust Page 17
