Vampire Nation 2: Titan Rising

by Joe Fowler

  “How? Everyone knows Titan now. They will recognize him immediately.” Arria countered.

  “Not if he uses an illusion like Ares did with you guys. He can assume any name and appearance he wants and show up with a few ‘employees’ of his own. We can make him out to be wealthy but short of what it would take to build his own facility. None of the old ones will ever suspect him to be anything but what we want them to believe.” Ghost explained.

  I let that sink in. I looked at it from several angles. I wasn’t seeing any holes. Arria was doing the same. I could see the wheels turning in her head.

  “We hope that by two months’ time, Titan will be ready to set them up for our attack. We can round all of them up in one fell swoop.” Lorac said. He took the few steps necessary to place his hands on Arria’s shoulders. “We won’t put Titan in any unnecessary danger. You know that. He and Ares are the only two that could pull this off. He will need the illusions, mind reading, and possibly many more of his gifts to accomplish what we need. If he ever feels overly threatened, we will pull him out and bring him home.”

  “You promise?” Arria asked.

  “I promise.” Lorac vowed with sincerity. He pulled her in for a hug.

  Another knock on the door interrupted their tender moment. I went to the door to see who it was this time. I wasn’t too shocked to see Feng standing there when I opened the door.

  “Now, tell me what the real plan is.” Feng said, smiling the whole time.

  Ghost and Lorac explained their idea to Feng. The council leader sat quietly mulling the new idea over. The rest of us stood or sat, being patient while Feng caught up.

  “This is doable. I would advise that Titan’s appearance not be random though. Think back to a thousand years ago and try to remember a vampire who disappeared without anyone knowing his whereabouts. These old ones we are trying to catch will remember his face and be comforted that it isn’t some kind of trick. There would be less doubt about Titan this way.” Feng suggested.

  “That thought crossed my mind but I wasn’t sure there was a vampire who would have disappeared. I was banking on the hope that Titan would choose an appearance that could be very forgettable to the point he wouldn’t be questioned.” Ghost commented.

  Feng looked to Ghost with a sly smile.

  “I can see what you meant now, Lorac. This one is as intelligent as you said he was.” Feng’s approval was apparent.

  “You were surprising to me. You followed along with what was really happening better than I expected.” Ghost returned the compliment.

  “I have a vampire in mind for the illusion. Darius. He was one of mine who won his freedom just before Ares started his attacks. Darius died during the fighting where we thought I had killed Ares. There were only two others who saw his body and those two are dead now. We left the bodies where they were knowing the sun would burn all traces of them at dawn.” Arria surprised us with her contribution.

  “We could say that he snuck away instead of fighting against Ares. He hid himself away to avoid being found out. That would be perfect!” Ghost exclaimed.

  “Arria, bring as clear a picture of him as you can into your mind.” I instructed.

  I watched as she thought of Darius. He was tall, maybe 6’2. He had a working man’s build. Black hair and close set eyes. I brought up the gift of illusion and made myself into Darius.

  The others walked around looking. Ghost was smiling.

  “This is going to be different for you, Titan. You won’t have all the women drooling over you now.” Ghost teased. Everyone but Arria laughed.

  Chapter 4

  We were back in the council chamber. We spent some time in Arria’s suite deciding the best route for handling Cheng. Much of what happened would depend on him. We had a plan in place that might be hard to pull off but not impossible.

  It was also decided that the other members of the council would be left out of the true plan. While trusted and respected, the older members of the council were not needed and the fewer who knew, the better chance we had of succeeding. Dmitriy and Sabina were not trusted enough to be included.

  “There will be an event held in two days at Tristan’s facility. We could make our plans tonight and be there in time for this to happen. We would need to agree so we can call and have our teams added to the card.” Cheng offered.

  “That would suffice for our needs. We need to iron out a few details and then we can get started.” Feng stated.

  “The biggest question is how to make this believable since everyone knows Arria and Titan love each other. How can we make them believe he is leaving her and is truly willing to switch sides?” Agda posed the big question.

  “The obvious lover’s quarrel wouldn’t be enough. It will have to be a part of this but it won’t be enough to convince the old ones. That is why I see a violent fight will be needed. Titan will have to be seen fighting someone he shouldn’t be fighting against.” Ghost was in full thinking mode. “Feng, I know of the council’s demand that Titan must not drink from an old one. It may become necessary to convince them of Titan’s change of heart. If we use the desire for power angle, it will be understood by those who are ruled by that desire.”

  Some of the council members grumbled at this suggestion. I looked around and could see that while they trusted me for now, they still had the fear Ares instilled in them. Feng took a long look at me. I was shocked when I heard his thoughts.

  “I see what I would wish to see in you, Titan. The others cannot get over the fear your gift causes them. I am going to allow Ghost’s request but I strenuously ask that you avoid drinking from an old one if you can. The others here would be after your head no matter how trustworthy you have shown yourself to be.” Feng was clear.

  I gave an almost imperceptible nod to him to show I understood. He smiled in response.

  “I understand this need. If the success of this endeavor hinges on you drinking from an old one, then do it.” Feng had barely got the words out when several of the council members were shouting. Feng held up his hand for silence. It took a moment but they subsided. “I understand the fear. I feel it as well. We will have to trust Titan.”

  Everyone was silent for a moment. Some were quiet out of anger. For Arria, it was worry. She knew there was still a lot that could go wrong with this plan. Lorac and Ghost were silently communicating.

  “…if Titan is able. That is the best way to catch Cheng in the act.” Ghost was finishing whatever he had been saying. Lorac pursed his lips and placed his hand on his temple. It was clear enough to me that he was saying ‘I will think about it’ so I knew Ghost would understand.

  “Which of us will be going to Tristan’s event?” Dmitriy asked.

  I wanted to laugh when the council looked at Ghost to find out. The ruling council of the vampires were already under Ghost’s spell. I was happy to see it.

  “Arria will need to go, obviously. The others that should go really depends on who Titan will have his fight with. We need it to be an old one who is well known to be on the side of the council and will be willing to participate in this ruse. We will want at least one more of the council members. Does anyone know an old one who might be willing to volunteer?” Ghost asked.

  “Gronk! He would love this!” Lorac suggested. The other council members all smiled at the thought. I hadn’t met this old one so I didn’t understand.

  “He would be perfect. Do you have his number to call? I can get it from the lists if you don’t.” Feng offered.

  “I have it. Hold on.” Lorac was reaching for his phone. The rest of us watched closely as the call was made.

  “What do you want, you old trickster?” Came the booming voice from the other end.

  “We have a fun proposition for you. I really think you’ll like this one…” Lorac explained what we needed. Here and there we could hear the booming laughter from Gronk. I was looking forward to meeting him.

  “As long as Titan can take a punch, count me in! I’ll call Tristan a
nd get added to the card.” Gronk agreed.

  “Thanks, Gronk.” Lorac said, before disconnecting.

  “Now we need at least one more from the council, at most two.” Ghost mind was moving too fast again.

  I withdrew shaking my head. I looked at Lorac and saw him smiling at me. He knew what it was like to try and keep up with that. I knew Ghost was going through all the scenarios in his mind for who would be best to have there at the fight. He needed to be at full speed for that and didn’t have time to let me and Lorac follow along.

  “I’m thinking Alethea and Dmitriy should both go. Alethea will be there to comfort Arria while Dmitriy will add balance and security.” I saw much more in Ghost’s mind as he spoke. I knew Lorac would as well. “It is the best mix for what we will need.”

  “Security? Please explain that for me.” Dmitriy requested.

  “There are few who could get in between Titan and an old one during a fight. We have to make sure the fight can be stopped before either of them get killed. The plan that I see in my head has Arria out of the room with Alethea when the fight takes place. No one would link Titan to you, Dmitriy. It is a way to ensure they don’t doubt Titan.” Ghost explained.

  “You have the most devious mind I have ever seen.” Agda stated. “Lorac, you might want to keep this one close so he isn’t lured away.”

  Some of the details were worked out and the calls were made to Tristan to be added to the card. By the time we were done, I had a serious headache.

  Chapter 5

  Arria sat in my lap for the plane ride. She didn’t speak. She only wrapped her arms around me and sat. I was ready to cancel the plan altogether. It was hard for me to see her this worried.

  When the plane landed, we tried to follow the normal routine. We landed early in the night. This would give the fighters time to train since the fights would be the following night. Once the fighters and employees were taken care of, I went to Arria’s suite. I took my time walking the gray hallways. My eyes were watching the scuffed hardwood floors as I walked.

  The next few days would be rough on both of us. Arria would be worried about my safety. I would be depressed knowing how upset this would make her. Also, I knew the danger this could pose to me.

  There were a lot of intricacies that were going to be tricky at best. The majority of the maneuvering would be done on the fly. Even Ghost could only plan so well before things became unpredictable.

  I sighed as I entered Arria’s suite. I knew she would still be checking in with Tristan. I took a look around the room knowing what I would see. The luxury was becoming old hat. It no longer shocked me how wasteful or rich the old ones were. So much expense for a temporary room assignment.

  I sat in my chair and waited for Arria. I occupied my time by going back over the plan. I didn’t want to think about it anymore but I knew what was at stake.

  Step one was going to be hard enough even though it was the easiest part. Arria and I would have a ‘lover’s quarrel’ in front of the other old ones. This would only be hard because of the emotions. Arria was a wreck from worrying about what would come next. She would be taken from the room by her good friend Alethea to be comforted.

  Step two would be fun in a way. I would pick a fight with Gronk over the heavy-handed nature of the council. I was told that he is twenty three hundred years old. I was also told that he loved a good brawl. I would be in for a real fight even though we weren’t really trying to kill each other. I almost looked forward to it. Dmitriy would give us time to draw enough attention before breaking up the fight.

  Step three was where things got tough. We were depending on Cheng’s betrayal for this part of the plan to work. It was our hope that Cheng would contact one of the old ones at this event to have him invite me to join him. After leaving with this unknown old one, things would get much more complicated.

  I heard the doorknob turning and looked to see the most beautiful woman imaginable smiling at me. It was a sad smile.

  “Everything is in place. I saw Gronk and he gave me a wink. I think he is excited about the upcoming fight. We didn’t get the chance to speak but we will talk before it happens.” Arria sat in her chair across from me.

  “I have a newfound respect for the strength of Ares. Keeping up a constant illusion is rough. I can see that the real plan will be tiring when we reach that stage. Once I am trying to be Darius, I won’t get any breaks either.” I sighed softly after speaking. It helped when I spoke of the next plan as a ‘when’ thing instead of an ‘if’ thing.

  “Do you have to keep constant concentration?”

  “Not exactly. It is relegated to one part of my mind that doesn’t let it slip. The only risk will be during the fight with Gronk. I believe it will be alright though. I am growing used to it. It is making me thirsty. I wasn’t expecting that.” I admitted.

  Arria promptly rang the bell twice. I was glad to see it. I hadn’t fed in three days and this added strain wasn’t helping. Normally, I would go three or four days between donors without a problem. I was relieved to know that I would never need to drain a donor completely again. Since Ares healed me, my donors had lived.

  Arria came and sat in my lap again. I understood the need for this closeness. We could be separated for days once the third step of the plan came into play. We sat like that for the ten minutes it took for the donors to arrive.

  After feeding, Arria got that look. My mind was pleasantly free of thoughts about the plans for the next few hours.

  Arria needed to mingle and I wanted to see my friends again. Arria would be using this time to start rumors of our disagreements. She intended to plant the seeds so that our argument wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. She hoped to get Gronk away from the others but wasn’t sure that would be possible.

  I was blissfully free of all but one responsibility and that was relegated to the back of my mind. I headed to the employee quarters to occupy the forefront of my mind.

  “Why are you so quiet, Blur? I haven’t heard you say more than two words since I joined you guys.” Jade was saying as I approached Apollo’s room.

  “Wait, you’ve heard him say two words? That’s like a record or something!” Speedy said, laughing.

  I entered the door while they were still laughing.

  “Howdy.” Venus chimed. She seemed in good humor.

  “Hey, everyone.” I stated as I sat in Apollo’s chair. He and Jade were sitting on the bed. I spared a second to wonder over that before I let it go.

  “Oh boy. How bad is it?” Apollo asked. He was getting to be much more observant than he started out. I liked to think that it was because of how much he cared for his friends. Apollo was easily the best person, vampire or human, I had ever known.

  “Nothing for you guys to worry about. Some things will be weird for the next few days but don’t worry about it. I will fill you guys in when I get back.” I leveled a stare at each of them. “Do not share any of this. I could be gone for up to a week, though it will probably be more like two days. I will be leaving tomorrow night after the fights.”

  “Now you’ve got to tell us.” Venus demanded.

  “I know I can trust you guys but this is extremely important. You have to be able to act like nothing is wrong and then be able to act shocked afterwards. You won’t be as believable if you know.” I hated keeping things from them. “Just know that everything will be back to normal soon. Well, sort of.”

  “You’re killing us here!” Jade said. She looked around at the others and asked. “Is he always like this?”

  “No. If he is keeping something from us, it is for the best.” Apollo told her. I appreciated that comment. It told me of the trust Apollo placed in me. If someone that good trusted me implicitly, I must be doing something right.

  Blur surprised us by laughing. The rest of us looked at him in shock which made him laugh harder. I tried to look into his mind but only saw the same wall that was always there.

  “Um, you want to let us in on the joke?” Venus
asked.

  “Not yet.” Blur said as his laughter trailed away. He kept the smile for a few minutes longer. He was becoming more intriguing by the day.

  “Well, I hope whatever is going on turns out the way you hope. Still don’t see why you don’t just go ahead and tell us.” Speedy said, gruffly. He wasn’t known for his patience.

  We were interrupted by a vampire I’d never seen before. He was short and stocky. He stood in the doorway looking around the room.

  “Can we help you?” I asked.

  “I am Bear. I work for Tristan. We are short of security personnel. Arria volunteered the services of her crew to help out.” He informed us.

  “That sounds fine.” Apollo said, as he stood. “We will be glad to help.”

  “I guess I will leave you guys to it.” I stood to leave.

  “See you, Titan.” Several said and echoed as I headed for the door.

  “Wow! You’re Titan?” Bear sounded excited. “Our crew has been wondering if we would get to meet you. We’ve been talking about you since word of your gift spread. If possible, could I speak to you alone for a minute?”

  “Sure. I don’t need to be anywhere for a while.” I wondered what this could be. I followed Bear out into the hall and down the corridor a ways. He made sure we were out of earshot before he turned to speak.

  “We are in a bind here. Tristan spends more time away from the facility than he does here. Some of us have overheard things that have us worried. Old ones come and go at all hours. We know something is in the works but we don’t know what it is yet. Since yesterday, things have been crazy. The size of this event tripled overnight. We were expecting five teams, now we have fifteen.” Bear paused to take a breath.