Times of Peace: Volume 1 of the side adventures to The Mercenary's Salvation

by Anthony M. Johnson

  Turn 6

  October 26, 2009

  6:04 P. M.

  Product for Patriots Testing Airfield, Outside Hillsboro, Oregon

  As a good Christian, I suppose there’s several adages that I’m expected to follow and teach. Work hard and you’ll succeed, but know money doesn’t buy you happiness. All you need is love, but when it cuts deep time will heal the wounds. Whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger, and all mistakes can benefit you if you learn from them.

  Lies. All of it. Being famously wealthy made me the happiest man alive, and I honestly never worked a day harder than the maids at the hotels I consistently stay at. Love hurts like a gunshot wound, and some holes are just too wide to ever scab over. That’s why it’s wise to avoid getting hurt or making mistakes; some things simply don’t get fixed.

  But owning a retired air force one airplane helps. The SAM 27000 is the last primary transport to serve the presidency before the dawn of the twenty first century, a massive 14,000-pound beast with a wing span of a 145 feet and 152 feet from tip to tail. Able to go 700 miles per hour and climb up to 50,000 feet in altitude, few modern planes dared to compare to the still useful if not aging relic, soon to be replaced given the appointment of PFP’s new president.

  That was fine by me, even as I stepped out of my limo and found myself starring at the flying museum. A host of memories came rushing back, all of them good but retching as I remembered night after night of work and fun coming to me…

  And her face. It seemed the specter of Sylvester was waiting for me at the base of the ladder, her dark blue hair silhouetted by the setting orange sun just above the green forest surrounding us. Had my wife come to take me home, to give me rest at l-

  My perfect moment was ruined by the dry complaint and slammed door of Mr. Caesar. “Dam. She’s coming.”

  Nostalgia hadn’t played as much of a trick as I thought, my cane already stomping along with my dress shoes as the ghost became more and more real. Sherry Sears, wearing an actual suit for once instead of a trendy dress coat or, as she was prone to do in her off days, a white martial gi. She looked annoyed, arms folded and brows furrowed as I wondered if now was the best time to talk with her, especially given the hell I had put her into.

  Alucard’s hand braced against my back, having received the same idea as me but having the courage to face his fears directly. We moved in synch as we marched on ahead, the man in bandages cracking his voice as he announced

  “Baby girl! I didn’t expect to see you he-”

  “Dad, shut the hell up.”

  Oh, we were in for it now. Coming just a few feet away, I found myself a hogwash of pride and fear, happy to find her looking like a proper business woman even if she only physically seemed fourteen, able to look ten years older with the proper make up… while at the same time dreading that awful stare, the same Sylvester used to give whenever she was out to hang me.

  Which wouldn’t be far from what she’d actually try to do at this rate, though no rope would be necessary to choke us out. Sherry throwing a gloved hand out at her biological father first, my adopted Darth began to glow as a sickly red pierced her blue contacts. Alucard found himself floating into the air soon after, a good five or ten feet off the ground as he began to choke.

  He didn’t even have the strength to lift his hands to his throat, his bandages dancing wildly and loosely as the invisible force worked over him. I simply stepped a few feet away, trying to appear as inconspicuous as I could, as the daughter explained the grave error her so called daddy had committed

  “My meeting this morning went well. I didn’t have a single complaint from any share holder. In fact, I even received gift baskets from those present as if they knew in advance that I’d be appointing myself as CEO. I pressed a few of the weaker ones and was told a gray haired albino in a trench coat had informed them of my appointment… and threatened to eat them if they didn’t treat me with perfect respect.”

  “II ghu iugi ihgsio I”

  Sherry let her palm open, her father dropping like a rock and crashing into the ground in a heap of clothing, metal and man. Gasping for breath, his burned and blackened tongue escaping from his bandages as he pushed a few away, the torture was far from over as he was suddenly lifted by a boot, his fedora coming free and letting the full mane of his hair escape as he began to twirl in the air, a dizzying affair just to watch.

  So glad he was here to take the brunt of it. Sherry, eyes still deadly, began to tighten her hand once more as the man began to turn faster and faster, an invisible carousel in the sky as I heard her say

  “Speak, father. Out with it.”

  “I just wanted tyou- uhk- yo have the per- sgklj- day!”

  “Normal people buy a cake. They don’t threaten their daughter’s staff with evisceration.”

  Which is about the time Alucard puked, his white bandages turning red with the blood of whoever was the last dark soul he had feasted upon as a circle of crimson was painted about him. Satisfied with such a grotesque, pagan display, Sherry let her hand drop as the man fell once more to the Earth, crashing into his own ejected fluids with a loud thump, shoulder dislocating and skin bruising as Alucard was left to mourn and squirm.

  I had just begun to climb the stairs into the jet when I felt my body freeze, hands stuck to the railings and mouth slacked open as I was left without a word to say. Breathless, wondering just what kind of punishment I would endure, I was actually also left wondering what my mistake was as I heard the sound of heels meeting the red carpet below, Sherry brushing past me as she began to climb the stairwell.

  Stopping at the top, Sherry turned to face my still immovable body as she pointed her gloved accusing digit my way, face contorted and angry as she let known the new law of the land now that she ruled as queen.

  “As for you, you’ve been slacking off in your responsibilities. You’ve been lying to me; every time you said you were going to work on Mors Thanatos, you’ve been sneaking off to play chess or golf. That Latin gal has been doing everything for you, you lazy cheat!”

  Well, if that was it-

  “And what’s this about donating a billion to Disney to get them to start considering negotiations for Star Wars with George Lucas? Do you literally have nothing better to spend your money on?”

  Okay, that might have been a bit self-indulgent. I had no ability to defend myself, beyond the immunity granted to those who lack a physical one. All I could do was hope that my dying form would be enough to dissuade form any more pain that Sherry could possibly inflict upon me.

  Such was a conundrum I knew she faced, Sherry’s eyes like daggers as she sought a way to cut… only to give way to an evil smile and wide eyes that beamed with sadistic glory. Moving her hand down, I began to feel a pressure within my abdomen…

  That caused me to wet myself, steam rising from my soiled pants as a dark spot began to grow in my now wasted suit. All I could do was grit my teeth, still frozen and immobile besides my leaky underparts, as I continued to pour out all I had and made myself the biggest fool to ever direct Products for Patriots.

  At last the torture ended, Sherry dropping her hand as I fell to my knees. I felt the skin split, weak bones rattling against the stair case and lungs struggling to restart and breath as Sylvester folded… as Sherry folded her arms and announced

  “Get your crap together, boys. We’re off in five minutes.”

  “Ugh… like mother, like daughter.”

  I flipped my head around, finding a soaking, dripping Alucard finally beginning to stand from the puddles of his own stinking vomit. “I’d hate to live in your house then.”

  “Why the hell do you think I prefer to travel?”

 

 

  October 26, 2009

  11:39 P. M.

  Sherry’s plane, Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

  The rough winds knocked me awake.

  “Hmph. Even when you don’t have a job, you can’t
stay asleep. How are you feeling.”

  A bit groggy, actually. I rolled my neck and head in tandem as I began to shift in my seat, eyes opening and taking in the soft light slowly as I struggled to focus in the current situation. What was the process, the maneuver that Sylvester used to teach…?

  Analyze your surroundings. I was sitting in a reclining chair, one of twenty or so that hadn’t been stripped from the lofty tan cabin. Several feet away was a table where Sherry sat, still dressed in a business suit and hard at work on a laptop… matching what I had done for many a year, eyes intent on an electronic screen that buzzed in the night as digits and figures kept me… or now her… from counting sheep.

  Of course FTMs, the more proper name for her vampire breed, never did like to sleep at night anyway. Shifting forward, rubbing my face and finding it to be drenched with sweat, I tried to think little of it and the small numbing pain in my left arm, some red flag raised but going ignored like everything else as I tried to say

  “How… how long was I out for?”

  “Only three hours.”

  “Hm. Well, at least we won’t get in until tomorrow afternoon. More than enough time to… catch up…”

  Which was all too tempting, my eyes struggling even now to stay open as my pupils flickered once more. I should have relented, taken the chance to go back to the realm of zzzs, but my curiosity got the better of me as I found my head tilting forward, trying to get a good look at what my heir was working on.

  She noticed immediately. “Your dad? Your biological one? Works for Grand Boss, one of his top lieutenants. I’d use the word Centurion, but that seems a bit ironic considering who we’re talking about.

  “Anyway, I didn’t come just out of curiosity. With a change of management, it’s time to start renegotiating terms and shipments. Grand Boss will personally come to examine the troops and deal with me, while you have your friendly chat with Mr. Belmont.”

  “Hm… that Grand Boss is coming to meet you is a good sign. I’ve never even spoken to him in person, yet here you are on day one shaking hands…”

  I’m not sure if I sounded bitter, sad or maybe even angry when I replied to her, for all of a sudden the quick tapping of keys froze as I saw the blue/black haired girl turn, eyes intent and focused on me even through my blurry, drowsy vision. Not entirely sure I was ready for her examination as she announced

  “You’re irritated at being used by Jack again.”

  Was I… “Yes, but not irritated. More… inquisitive. Why me? Why was it always me he had to screw with?”

  “Pierre Belmont is a class five forced transfigured mutant. Of course Jack wouldn’t let you go.”

  “But he let Molly go, didn’t he?” I asked, eyes a bit wider and clear now as the old cerebrum locked away in my skull went to work. “Molly doesn’t even know about the FTV. Jack has had nothing to do with her, as far as I’m aware.”

  “Well… you need to ask his son in law about that.”

  Speak of the devil and he’ll find a way to show up, the soft patter of boots against carpet causing me to turn and find Alucard emerging from the former presidential suite. Having just taken a shower and, prancing about half naked for whatever reason, I was forced to stare and nearly puke at the horribly disfigured torso of the half dead vampire. Major burns had seared away most of the flesh, leaving a multitude of blending patches of gray and black in what had to be unfeeling and dead flesh, only stuck to the monster’s frame thanks to his unique biology. Capable of healing any wound received post transformation save from a few select weapons, it was simply bad luck he wasn’t turned into a creature of the night until after he had nearly died.

  Unless he had perished. Some people were able to be brought back from the other side if their corpses had enough remaining cells for the forced transfiguration virus to work with. A significant amount of resources had been dedicated into studying the workings of the ancient organism, especially after absorbing most of the Robber Barons assets… only to find a strange and powerful weapon, one whose origins I never cared to learn.

  I could only wonder if such microbes flowed through me now when the wet vampire shook his head, at least having the decency to cover his heavily damaged mouth with a ski mask. Then, with cool air escaping and somehow forming a mist even in this warm cabin, Alucard Caesar added

  “I can answer any question you want, Seth. You just won’t like the answer.”

  “I never do. Why did Jack screw with my life and left Molly alone?”

  “Because she has HIV.”

  Oh. Come. On. I couldn’t go one hour, one freaking hour without some kind of life changing news that changed the entire state of the game. Fully awake now, I nearly fell out of my seat as I got to my seat and advanced on the man, ignoring my cane as I approached him.

  “Are you just screwing with me now?”

  “As hilarious as that would be… no. I’m not. Your younger sister fell in love with a girl that had HIV… and through her promiscuity got it herself. I don’t need to explain to you the implications of that. You’ve already made them yourself.”

  What, a punishment of Heaven? No, if God hated us he would have never let us get adopted in the first place, becoming heirs of a business that would ensure that neither us, nor our children, nor even our grandchildren or their grandchildren would ever work again. Sure, Gary had some problems but… there’s not a single reason to believe he had it against us.

  This was Jack’s doing. “When did she get it.”

  “She’s twenty-six now, right? She came out of the closet at sixteen… so when she was nineteen, I think?”

  “You think?”

  “Look. Jack doesn’t start considering candidates for their usefulness until they’re either in their late twenties or exhibit signs of superiority from a young age. She effed up her life beyond repair before she even hit the two oh, and she never displayed a mental prestige like you did. Why would Jack care about Molly?” Alucard asked, taking a seat just as my legs began to wobble. Sherry was once again forgotten as I took a chair by him, facing the vampire as he continued to let his old scars air dry. I grabbed my hair, so many moves and implications and hints and-

  “Stop it.”

  “What?”

  “You’re already wondering why she never told you. Why she never came to you for help. Wondering how you never saw it.”

  “Well, yes…”

  “Also Jack. Paid for her medicine and told her to keep it a secret. Didn’t need you doing something stupid and getting yourself killed early.”

  There it was again, my hair nearly getting torn free form my head as I balled my hand into a fist and threw it down. Pounding into my leg, I found my teeth gritting and chest growing hard as I had to try to avoid stamping about, a flash of anger fueled once more by the mention of that blasted name.

  “Jack… Jack again! So he did leave Molly alone, only to use her as another way to screw with me? What the flipping hell?”

  “Seth. Calm down. It’s not like he’s done anything wrong-

  “Done nothing wrong?” I repeated, incredulous. “Since when was it right to manipulate and plan other people’s lives for him? Since when did he have the right to… to…”

  “To play god?”

  And I lost this verbal round, mouth hung wide as Alucard explained the obvious for me. Bad habit I’m glad his daughter had yet to acquire.

  “If Jack did something wrong, then a god is in the wrong. If a god is perfect though, then Jack did nothing wrong by emulating him. You can’t get mad, because than you’re mad at God.”

  “I get it.”

  “No, you don’t. If you had, you’d never have made the mistake of sinning in the first place.”

  Eurgh… no sense arguing with the immortal. Grunting, I picked myself up and found myself advancing toward the presidential suite, legs growing tired without the aid of a cane as I figured I should salvage whatever sense of pride I had left. Yet, just when I was a
bout to retire and close the door behind me, I felt my hand stop me as my head turned, my distant voice questioning

  “How much does Pierre know about us?”

  “Everything there is to know. I’ve been working with him from the start.”

  So just another player in the game. All I cared to know as I finally went to a real bed, longing for sleep and a world that made sense.

  I would get neither as the hours passed by.