by J M Bannon
"So, you're sucking the life out of cattle to keep people alive?" Dolly said with a furrowed face.
"A vegetarian views eating animal flesh the same way you think about my Order using animus to sustain life. I will bet that if this technology was available to you, and a loved one was on his deathbed you would quickly rationalize your way out of the judgment you made," argued Gerrard.
"Oh, I'm not judging I want to be sure I understand," said Dolly.
"Please go on," Rose begged of Gerrard then turning to Dolly. "Dolly, let's get on with this, we will need to get onboard the runabout shortly."
"Thank you, Sister. I want you to be prepared and understand that what you see is all based on Animus research and the subjects; that is the test subjects are made from muscle and organs of cattle. The Brotherhood creates human shaped test subjects from the cattle then tests the reanimation process,"
"So, this place has homemade men made from beef running around?"
Gerard showed a slight smile. "I know how absurd that sounds. I can't say as I have not visited in years and only hear the reports at our meetings. There has been limited success, and the work is intensive so there may be a few specimens who will be kept in pens. They have not had a subject survive more than a few weeks. I want to prepare you, the beasts are human like in size and shape, but they are gruesome to look at, stitched together from the scraps of the dairy; they are not human. I worry you will see this and make more of it than it is."
"Fair enough," said Rose, her imagination racing. Her curiosity took over, anticipating what the Necronists' could have created.
24
Friday the 29th of March
9:10 p.m. Outside the Monastère de la Prairie vallonnée
This is strange, I would have expected someone to meet us. It is not every day an airship arrives at your doorstep," remarked the Guild Master as they exited the runabout.
“You stay moored here in case we to get the fuck out of here quick,” Gerrard heard Dolly softly say to the pilot as they followed him off the craft. He noticed Rose’s hands moving from her head to her belt then to some of her pockets it almost looked like some ritual. “You forget something?” Gerrard asked.
“No just a habit when I’m a bit nervous; just making sure I have all my gear,”
The runabout had landed in the gravel circular drive in front of the fountain. Saint Yves stopped before opening the front double doors. He closed his eyes taking in a calming breath. Game face on.
The Seer threw open the double doors with a powerful thrust and strode into the foyer. Standing in formation were three Necronists. Two subordinates were helping the third, older member walk, he appeared drugged or sick.
"Seer Allard, what is going on here?" commanded Guild Master Saint Yves.
The two holding the third stood at attention but were struggling to show respect while still holding the other man who looked up groggily at the Guild Master and his party.
"Its Hume, Guild Master," said Allard he could barely get the words out, leaning on the others.
Saint-Yves shot the two acolytes a disapproving, inquiring look.
"We are the night sentinels and found Seer Allard on the ground outside of Guild Master Hume's office unconscious; the office looks as if there's been a break-in, his strong room was open."
The entry hall was large but austere. Gothic architecture spoke to the antiquity of the Order; an inlaid and exotic solid wood stairway spiraled up to a large balcony where a group of Necronist collected as spectators.
"Has anyone seen Hume?" Yelled the Guild Master to the growing crowd.
"He is in the catacombs, in the research laboratory," answered the Acolyte holding Allard.
"Take him to the Infirmary," Guild Master Saint Yves ordered.
"Guild Master, give me a moment, I will be fine," Allard requested, letting go of the support from his two subordinates. He rocked his head and stretched as if shaking off asleep. Then he trudged over to stand in front of Guild Master Saint Yves.
"We have to deal with Guild Master Hume, he attacked me using a hex of incapacitation. I was only confronting him about his odd behavior," Allard explained.
"Take us to the laboratory," guided Gerrard, "and the rest of you go about your business." He could only imagine what Hume was up to. It's true his behavior over the last few years had indeed been eccentric, after heading up the work here at the Monastery. But running off after their meeting with the British Detectives and then attacking his staff? This situation was deeply disturbing, worse than he thought and nothing Crocus had a clue about.
"This way," Seer Allard pointed towards a rear hallway and the party followed including the two Acolytes.
Saint Yves turned to the acolytes. "I said, go about your business,
I assure you that the Seer and I can cope with this matter," said the Guild Master.
The party left the two Acolytes at the top of the stairwell with dumbstruck and disappointed looks on their faces. Gerrard followed Allard who occasionally steadied himself on the wall still recovering from the effects of Hume’s incantation. He knew Hume was adept but couldn't recollect the last time he saw his friend practice. The group walked down the stairs where a transition from laid stonework changed to roughly hewn stone curving and ending in the gas-lit catacombs. Naturally occurring limestone caves had been re-purposed first by the Christian Monks then later by the Necronist Guild. The tunnel ended in a heavy metal door, left wide open.
"That door should always be closed and locked," said Allard, hastening his gate to proceed inside. Saint Yves stopped Allard by grabbing his arm "Wait. Allow me to go in first," he ordered.
Dolly parroted Saint-Yves and grabbed Rose's arm. "You best let me go first," said Dolly patting his side where his pistol sat in its holster. Rose giggled, throwing her long coat open on her left side where the Rod was slung on her belt. She patted it and whispered, "with this crowd, I'll be saving your life Detective," she pushed past him to get behind the Guild Master.
Gerrard mentally agreed, if there was trouble, a cop and a gun were not the best lines of defense.
Saint Yves pulled the door open to a large room, he had forgotten how big this cavern was. Ten feet from the floor of the cave a metal walkway weaved around the metal reanimation cells, interconnected with piping and conduit. On the cave floor, endless equipment and machinery amassed to power the reanimation experiments. The system was running and the drone of the equipment filled the cave. What stood out was the man sobbing on his knees in the middle of the walkway. It was his friend and fellow Guild Master Arno Hume.
"Arno, what is the matter?" called Gerrard as he ran to Hume on the floor. Gerrard’s eyes darted around the room checking for looming threats, anything that could have attacked the man on the ground.
"Gerrard, Lilith, my sweet Lilith is dead," Hume moaned in anguish.
"Where? what happened?" asked Gerrard.
"Paris, she was killed and I, I did something…" Hume stopped, realizing he was not alone with Saint Yves.
"You used the soul magnet, didn't you? You did not destroy it, as you promised.," challenged Gerrard.
Hume stood up brushing himself off. "No. Didn't you hear what I said? My daughter was killed."
"I am sorry to hear about your daughter, but what did you do, you were saying," asked Gerrard.
"Yes, Gerrard. I did what any grieving father would do with my talents, I brought her here and reanimated her, please understand." Hume begged.
"You did what? Oh, Arno," Gerrard shook his head, Hume was off his rocker and had done the unthinkable, the unforgivable.
He put his arm around Hume to comfort him but also to distract him. Gerrard reached into his pocket for his mala beads as Hume pulled away.
Hume's red eyes and wet face tensed, "Don't think you can make this better or get on your high horse about the covenant; you fucked this up, Gerrard. Your soul will go to the collection just as mine."
Gerrard was confused. "I won't disagree that my soul
should burn, but tell me what you did and where is Lilith?"
It started with an angry laugh then as he spoke, Hume's volume and tone escalated. "I got her away from that vile shit hole of Paris and brought her body here where I had the equipment and technology. For many years, I believed in theory, that it, could be done, reanimate one with another's spirit; but honored our agreement and did not try until it was my little girl." his sadness crept back thinking of her then swung to anger again. "You mucked this up, don't you see? I needed a human life source, an un-inventoried life, and I had one. I had kept it safe for years, it was the one you had slipped into the rejuvenation induction chamber at the Guild House after the disaster in London. I found the inventoried capsule in your coat and switched them back. So, the covenant first was broken by you, by taking a soul and not giving it over to the collection," finished Hume.
The room spun and closed in around Gerrard's head as the words sunk in. "That was no ordinary life-force; it was Angelica,"
"Yes, you idiot, it was. What were you thinking? It's one thing to have a romp in the jungle with a native, but did you really plot to imbue yourself with her life essence? In hopes, of what, to wield the power of that Voodoo Witch? That is just creepy, Gerrard," Arno accused.
"I loved her, I thought I could be close to her again," mumbled Saint-Yves.
"That's just it, you didn't think, and I didn't either, apparently. I should have confronted you back then. And now that Witch has possession of my daughter's body,” the Guild Master lamented.
"What, she's alive? Angelica?" yelled Rose. Her question snapped the two friends out of their argument.
"What are they doing here?" Hume demanded.
"We have come to investigate the device you built, Guild Master. The one that wiped out the entire population of Harpsichord and the people on the Zeus Colonial. If you wouldn't mind coming with us to look, it's on our airship," said Dolly.
"Wait, you said she is alive, are you saying you resurrected Angelica du Haiti? Where is she now?" asked Gerrard.
Hume shook his head and buttoned up his coat. "Yes, it is true, I have returned that vengeful bitch to this world. You missed her, she left the laboratory and escaped into the catacombs."
"May I remind you Guild Master that we are here to learn about this soul magnet and who might use it to murder innocent people,” Interrupted Dolly, losing patience with this melodramatic reunion.
Hume shook his head, "No, that was Allard. He stole the magnet and my ideas. Who knows how long that ferret has been in the hen house stealing my secrets like eggs," Hume said with indifference.
Saint Yves turned to witness Henri Allard running across one gangway towards the other side of the cavern.
“No, that was Allard he stole the magnet and my ideas. Who knows how long that ferret has been in the hen house stealing my secrets like eggs,” Hume said with indifference.
Allard had seen and heard enough. He made his way towards the pens he had to get away now that the Police and the Guild knew what he had done.
He was further disgusted by what the Guild had devolved too, the elite of the Necronist order carrying on like school boys. Hume had a hex he could throw with no preparation he couldn’t chance letting him do that again. From what the Pommie Cop was saying the siphon was on a nearby airship his options if he stood around were limited and all would result in him being caught. To reach the pens he had to ascend another set of metal stairs. There were seven subjects, some aware of him others sleeping as he walked by he opened each cage door. The screeching of the metal hinges when Allard opened the doors caused the creatures to stir and move out of the pens. Allard picked up his pace to stay ahead of the beasts as they bunched up and follow him as he circled back to bring this gang of meat puppets to Guild Master Hume.
“Allard have you lost your mind?” yelled Hume.
“No, sir I got it back I am tendering my resignation,” Allard said with a smile as he slid under the guard rail hanging for a moment before dropping from the gang way to the cave floor below. The ten foot drop caused Henri to fall and roll but he got up making his way over to the reagents resting next to the ichor kettles. He grabbed several bottles looking at them and when he found the ones he wanted he threw them to the ground below the gangway where the meat puppets were crossing. A noxious cloud formed and wafted up to the pack of beasts.
Allard disappeared behind the cloud of smoke that rose up and was enraging the flesh abominations of the Necronists.
25
Friday the 29th of March
9:20 p.m. The Necronist Laboratory under Monastère de la Prairie vallonnée
The pack of filthy creatures that Allard had released trampled down the walkway directly in line with Hume and Gerrard. Dolly watched as the French Seer chucked bottles of chemical to the floor then ran off cursing at Hume in French.
Seven stout man-shaped creatures suddenly picked up speed and aggressively rambled towards the two Guild Masters. The fumes somehow aggravated the mindless, featureless, gruesome flayed men. The pack was upon Saint-Yves and Hume before Dolly could draw up his rifle. The two Necronists were lost in the pile of red meat, under a savage attack.
He aimed his Henry rifle and fired at one towards the back of the pack. The shot rang out and echoed through the cavern. He hit his intended target; the force throwing the monster back. After a moment, it returned to attacking, crippled from the damage it had taken but still moving. He popped off three more shots causing damage but not killing the beast. Not again.
Under the meat mass, Williamson glimpsed one of the Necronist, he couldn't make out which of the black-garbed metaphysicists it was, but he drew a dagger and plunged it into the beast on top of them. The monster stopped moving and dropped atop the man who stabbed it.
Dolly dropped the rifle and unholstered his pistol pulling back the hammer before squeezing the trigger. The seasoned Detective took aim and fired. Now one of Rose's magic bullets would find a new home.
"Holy Shit!" Dolly exclaimed when he saw the light show. It was a common lead slug wrapped around a crystal holding a concoction of alchemical gases Rose had mixed up. He had shot one before at a paper target not at something that would interact with the eldritch elements in its moist center. Rather than ripping through the meat man on impact, a spectacular blue ball of light appeared and tore through the flesh exiting out the other side of the creature. Dolly swore he saw an apparition rip out of the monster and dissipate just beyond it. This one was thrown by the blast, away from the pack and lay dead on the walkway. The joy of success vanished when he realized the pack now was moving towards him and Rose.
The tight confines of the raised metal walkways funneled the beasts towards Dolly in a cramped herd. He took aim at the leading creature only thirty feet away and shot the pistol. The result was similar, through the gun smoke billowing from the muzzle he saw the blue flash within the wound and the beast went down. The crumbled form became an obstacle to the others but only for a moment as they lumbered over the slumped corpse. He let the next shot fly and watched the beast's chest turn into a ball of blue fire. Another one dead.
He kept pulling the trigger, but the last three chambers were just a regular thirty-six caliber bullet. They slowed and damaged the pack members but did not stop them. He looked back searching for a path of escape and saw Rose with the Rod of Raziel drawn, eyes closed. He couldn't abandon her, so he turned back to brace for the onslaught. Just as the pack closed Rose ran past him with the Rod in her hand, She stopped, planting her feet and threw her shoulder into an invisible wall. She let out an umph and a golden light projected from her shoulder, shaped like a shield. Dolly was dumbstruck he had never witnessed Rose cast a spell before. He could see the shield slowly rotate as it moved forward, translucent golden energy with sigils floating within the form. The shield hit the herd, pushing them back, tumbling like pins struck by a bowling ball. He watched as the shield rolled over the herd toward Saint-Yves who was up on his feet doing something with his dagger. The
Guild Master looked up to see the shield coming towards him and weaved out of its way.
"We have to get out of here," said Rose, "That's all I've got."
"This is my last ampule," yelled Gerrard as he stabbed the beast closest to him. He was badly beaten with cuts on his arms and a swollen face. Gerrard eyed Hume on the ground lifeless and said, "He's dead."
"I'm out of shots," shouted Dolly as the two meat puppets got back up and came barreling at Rose and Dolly.
26
Friday the 29th of March
9:30 p.m. The Necronist Laboratory under Monastère de la Prairie vallonnée
Rose and Dolly sprinted for the door, the two lumbering beasts closed in on them. Rose was spent from the Enochian summoning, her legs felt like lead noodles. The door was just a few steps away when it was slammed shut by an inky, oozing blob projected from below the walkway. Rose was overcome with foreboding, her skin prickled sensing a change in atmosphere. She turned back, and the view caused her to grasp for Dolly's arm.
'Shit, Lassie you'll break the skin," scolded her boss as he turned and followed her gaze. "For fuck's sake, I thought I'd seen it all."
Suspended in the air were the two meat men suspended by black tendrils, like the arms of a giant octopus. The source, dozens of animation tanks that dotted the laboratory. Seer Saint Yves was also drifting fifteen feet above their heads held by the same black fluid strands.
