Eldritch Ops

by Phipps, C. T.

  I do not know, Bloody Mary said, her astral voice low. I used the blood of the vampires you killed to work powerful divinations in order to find out the truth of what was vexing you. However, the truth has always been elusive to those who seek to plumb the future. I might have had more luck if you did the rituals instead of me through you. You have a hint of the Sight. Just a hint, at least before I enhanced your magical potential.

  “Show me what you saw,” I said, tightening my fists. “Now.”

  As you wish, my love. The last words were playful, almost mocking. It was the first time she’d shown any annoyance at my earlier attack. Of course, given she was a demon, it might as well have been a promise of eternal vengeance. Little did I realize the vision she was about to show me was every bit of payback she’d ever need.

  It came rushing like a flood into my brain, feeling every bit as horrific as Dracula’s assault on my mind and then some. Pure white-hot agonizing pain forced me to my knees as my mind was opened up to pathways to the future man was never meant to travel.

  I saw vampires descend like a plague of locusts into Division One, Division Two, and a hundred more of our bases. The identities of every single Red Room agent in the world were compromised and posted on the internet, vast rewards promised for their murder to any supernatural entity who could kill them. Hired murderers tracked down not just the House’s personnel, but also their families and children.

  Dhampir and blood slave mercenaries slaughtered children in their cribs after slitting the throats of their caretakers. Car bombs set by longstanding anti-Red Room terrorist organizations blew up supporters in Congress, British Parliament, the Russian oligarchy, and the Chinese Communist Party. Dozens of organizations were used as pawns by Dracula and his allies, turning the world’s governments against us.

  The Red Room fought back with everything it had but was too weakened by the initial assault. Its allies against the Vampire Nation turned against them as surely as they had the undead. In the end, the massive war destroyed the one thing the House was designed to protect. With its agents dead and its influenced crippled, no one was there to protect humanity from the Truth.

  Knowledge of the supernatural leaked out into the media, and the world descended into chaos as everything the public thought they knew was revealed to be a lie. Those House members who were left were hunted down, arrested, put to trial, and executed. Penny, Lucy, Shannon, Alec, and Talbot all died before my eyes, killed by the so-called normal people we’d spent our life protecting. What was left after their deaths I couldn’t see, because their fates blinded me to further visions.

  I lay on the ground, holding my head and trying to force the pain from my mind. Every muscle in my body twitched while I struggled for breath. A cold sweat covered me. Shannon held my hand, sticking her steel hard fingers in my mouth to keep me from biting off my tongue.

  You’re welcome. Bloody Mary laughed. Don’t banish me again.

  “Derek,” Shannon started to speak. “Are you—”

  “No,” I said, sitting up and coughing. “I’m not okay.”

  “I was going to ask in need of medical care. There’s a hospital nearby.”

  I shook my head, coughing some more. “No hospital.”

  I squeezed Shannon’s hand for comfort, making sure she was still alive. The things the mob had done to her had been unspeakable. But then again, they always were. Mankind lost fifty IQ points when they entered a crowd and gained ten pounds of viciousness in a five-pound bag.

  As you can see, something bad is going to happen, Bloody Mary said, her voice flippant. I’m not sure how the war with the vampires is going to lead to these events, but they will occur. You thought the vampires were going to lose badly. You were worried about genocide. In fact, you should have looked to your own house.

  I thought for a second. Climbing to my feet, I maneuvered my way back to the chair in front of the computer and plopped down. “I saw a vision of the House destroyed.”

  “Yeah, I guessed you saw something. How?” Shannon asked, filling her coffee mug with water from the nearby bathroom and handing it to me.

  I took the mug and closed my eyes, trying to interpret the images I’d seen. “The House’s greatest advantage has always been its secrecy. If any one of its enemies were to know its agents’ identities and the location of its divisions, they’d be able to mount an endless series of attacks. Vampires can replace their numbers faster than we can replace our operatives. The thing is, they don’t know who our agents are and where our bases are located. If they did, we wouldn’t have a major advantage,” I spoke aloud, slowly climbing to my feet. “What my vision showed was a compromise in our security.”

  “How bad a compromise?” Shannon said, helping me up. “Are we talking hacked files, a snitch, what?”

  “Like if someone were able to kidnap my father and drain every bit of intelligence from his mind. There are a few other Committee members who know enough to engender that sort of apocalypse.” I hesitated to use the word “apocalypse,” but since it involved my family, I wasn’t about to scrimp on the hyperbole.

  “You think your father would be the target?”

  “He’s the only thing related to Division Zero that could cause such a reversal of the House’s fortunes.” I bit my lip. “The thing is, my father and the other Committee members have mental protections to prevent this sort of thing. I don’t know a quarter of what he knows and the spells worked around my brain keep me from revealing any information.”

  “Even to Mary?” Shannon asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Your secrets are as dark to me as Hell, Bloody Mary replied. Of course, I would say that, wouldn’t I?

  “I don’t believe Mary has access to the House’s secrets. Just my memories. The details are designed to be fuzzy to anyone but me. I also have a ten-conditioning level. I’m the last person in the Committee they’d be able to crack, and everyone else is damn near impossible as is.”

  Shannon’s eyes widened. “Ten? Did your father do electroshock therapy on you growing up?”

  “Why do people keep assuming I was abused as a child?”

  “Because it would explain a lot.”

  I rolled my eyes. “My point stands. If Dracula or the Vampire Nation had access to my knowledge, they’d already be assaulting the House. He’s not the sort of being who’d wait.”

  Shannon nodded. “I’ll take your word for that. However, they’re researching mind control there. Do you think Dracula thinks the House’s own tech can break a Committee member?”

  I paused, dominos falling in my head as everything started to fit together. “So just so we’re clear. You think Dracula is going to attack Camp Zero to get at my father and the brainwashing tech there, so they can destroy the Red Room. All the while, the Vampire Nation is getting hammered by the House and its allies. Which has all been arranged by Christopher’s girlfriend?”

  “No, but your theory sounds about right.” Shannon paused, taking a second to parse my statement. “If we believe Bloody Mary, Christopher, and our own unfounded guesses. If.”

  I took a sip of water down my parched throat. “The sad fact is I’m inclined to do just that. I trust Mary after a fashion.”

  Shannon looked at me sideways.

  “Don’t ask me why.” I drank down the remainder of the mug’s contents. “Well, there are two people on Earth who can verify my theory.”

  “Which are?”

  I didn’t answer but turned back to the computer. “How good are the rerouting systems on this?”

  “Excellent. I always work with the best,” Shannon said. “Why?”

  I typed in a number on the computer’s cellphone link-up I’d seen on a file for “Major Enemies of the Red Room.” I’d never seen any reason to dial it until now.

  Seconds later, Dracula’s image popped on the screen. He was sitting in the back of a limousine with Minka and Elizabeth beside him. Both women were wearing goth attire, while Dracula had changed into leather pants and a silk sh
irt.

  Shannon’s eyes widened.

  That was unexpected, Bloody Mary said. Albeit an excellent way to cut the Gordian Knot.

  Dracula was not easily surprised. However, I could see the tips of his eyebrows raise. “Fascinating. Do you have a desire to die, Cleaver? If so, I can grant you this wish. I lost a number of my men on that plane. Plus, I loved my jet. Tsk-tsk-tsk. How naughty of you to destroy it.”

  “In the words of Alexander Hamilton to Aaron Burr on the day of their duel, fuck you,” I said, giving him the finger.

  Childish? Yes. Fun? Quite.

  “How very droll. What, may I ask, has driven you to contact me? Have you decided mortal life has no lasting appeal for you, and you’ve come to beg forgiveness for all the vampires you’ve murdered?”

  I was betting a lot on a hunch, but I had Dracula’s number now both figuratively and literally. “I think you’re the guy behind Christopher’s every action. You gave him the Bloodsword, mesmerized him into seeking me out, and have been following me to Protocol Zero so you can get at it through the front door. You assumed the Bloodsword would possess me and then I’d take out Nathan Hawthorne and deliver him to you along with all of Protocol Zero’s research. Oh, I bet you wanted me to take out Annabelle Jones too.”

  “That is the most ludicrous—” Elizabeth started to say.

  Dracula began to clap. “Oh, Derek, you are almost as good an agent as your father. In another lifetime, you might have beaten me.”

  “I find your statement to be the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard.” I said, growling. “I am twice the agent he is.”

  “Sir…” Elizabeth trailed off. It was obvious she was stunned by the pronouncement. Dracula had turned on Ms. Jones.

  Dracula chuckled. “I don’t know why you are still surprised. You know Annabelle was a cannon waiting to fire. The sole reason I allowed her back was because I respected her violence and could manipulate her through you. I thought I could do it one better by giving her an ideal lover in Christopher, one shaped through mesmerism to be my spy on her activities. It took a few tweaks but was easy enough to accomplish.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “That’s why he tried to kill me. You fried his brain.”

  “Oh, my dear Derek, you overestimate me. I suspect anyone who has known you for more than five minutes will want to kill you.”

  “It’s true, but he grows on you. Like an inescapable fungus of death,” Shannon said. “Hi, Dracula. Remember last time we met?”

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?” Dracula said, feigning disinterest.

  Shannon’s look could have killed.

  “Don’t let him play you,” I said, frowning. “I suppose that’s all I wanted you to know. Goodbye.”

  “I don’t think so,” Dracula said, staring at me. “Bloody Mary, do be a dear and kill him for me.”

  A second passed.

  I stared. “Still here.”

  Dracula frowned. “Well, that was unexpected. You are proving more interesting than anticipated, Cleaver. I am going to kill your friend, your family, and your organization. I do recognize you, Shannon, and I can assure you your end will be just as painful. The thing I’m torn about is which one of you I’ll torture in front of their love—”

  I turned off the computer.

  “You hung up on Dracula?” Shannon asked, smiling.

  “I did,” I said cheerfully. “So, what did you do to him?”

  Shannon’s eyes took on a dangerous glint. “After I turned against my father, Dracula tried to recruit me into his little harem of brainwashed slaves. I tore off his head.”

  “A bit extreme.”

  “Some men won’t take no for an answer.”

  I nodded. “Anyway, impressive. Not many supernaturals can kill an Elder vampire.”

  “I’d fed a lot before doing it,” Shannon said, looking down. “But yeah, I’m strong when I tap into my rage. The hate makes me powerful.”

  “That’s not . . . ominous.”

  “You’re the one who insists I’m not a monster.”

  Mary? I thought toward her.

  Yes? Mary asked.

  You were silent when Dracula ordered my death. I am grateful you didn’t do it, though, I said.

  You’re welcome, Mary replied, sounding almost bored.

  Yes, I was wondering if you’d been sent to win me over before maneuvering me to kidnap my father, I suggested.

  Bloody Mary’s voice became low and seductive. Such may have been Dracula’s plan, but it was not mine.

  Interesting, I said. I suppose that’s your definition of a trustworthy act.

  Isn’t it yours? Bloody Mary asked.

  I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I went with my usual response. I don’t trust anyone.

  You can lie to yourself but not to me, lover, Bloody Mary said. Trust comes easily to you and with great passion. The only person you never give a chance is yourself.

  We’ll talk about this later, I said.

  “He’s going to try and live up to his promise to kill everyone we know,” Shannon said. “He’s a bad enemy to have.”

  “He was always my enemy,” I said, deciding I’d have to find a permanent way of putting him down. “Do you think Dracula was telling the truth when he admitted to the plan I described? My instincts say yes, but I can’t rely on them one hundred percent.”

  “I think Dracula is a card-carrying villain who would confess to anything he did and anything he hasn’t done because he wants people to think he’s the biggest, baddest, and meanest mother-sucker on the planet,” I said, trying to sound less than impressed.

  “Is he?” Shannon asked.

  “He’s close,” I admitted.

  “The problem is, getting my theory’s confirmation means Dracula’s plan is thwarted,” I said.

  “And that’s a bad thing?” Shannon asked.

  “It means he knows where Camp Zero is located. He’s not going to hold off on attacking the place because his main plan has fallen through. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s going to launch one as soon as he can get one prepped.”

  Shannon stared. “Yeah, that seems probable. So, what are we going to do?”

  I grimaced. “It means we’re going to have to adjust our plans. Penny and Lucy are going to be ticked about it, especially if she’s paying for the equipment out of pocket, but we need to warn Camp Zero’s personnel.”

  “Are you sure you want to? These are brainwashing renegade operatives,” Shannon said.

  “Not to mention whatever the hell they’re doing to supernaturals,” I reminded her.

  “Yeah, that too,” Shannon said.

  I thought about the casualty figures I’d read from Camp Zero’s operations. There was also a list of names of people who’d been confirmed as going to Camp Zero and never returning—well into the hundreds, and that was just the identified. They were possibly still alive. I couldn’t let them die in Dracula’s attack. Unlikely as it could be, shutting down Camp Zero might mean innocent supernaturals being freed too. Then there was Bloody Mary’s vision. It was too harsh to ignore. I had to stop it if I could.

  Your trust means a great deal because I know the depths of emotion behind it, Mary cooed in my head. I may betray you some day, but I promise you it’ll be for good reason.

  Err, thanks, I said before speaking aloud to Shannon. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but if it’s a choice between evils, then better the Devil you know. I think it might be a good idea to keep the team on the side, though. Nothing prevents me from warning the House about an upcoming attack on their most hidden black site and breaking into it.”

  “Except common sense,” Shannon said.

  “I’ve never been blessed with an abundance of that quality,” I said.

  Shannon snorted. “Tell me about it.”

  “Are you up for following me on this?”

  “I said I’d follow you anywhere, Derek. My feelings haven’t changed in the past six hours.” Shannon’s sincerity touched me
.

  “Just checking,” I said.

  “Well stop,” Shannon said.

  I thought about my options and wondered if this was my destiny, to always be caught up in events too large to affect. I felt like the proverbial rat in a maze, moving from one corner to the next trying to figure out which way was the exit. Somehow, Dracula’s manipulations and the House’s secrecy had resulted in my protecting something I despised.

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Get Malcolm onboard, contact my father, and take out Christopher’s wife. I doubt Christopher will appreciate it, but my partner would have wanted me to put him down versus keeping him as an eternal pawn of the undead.”

  “Just like that.”

  “Just like that,” I said, resolved. “In fact, warning the House about Dracula means they’re less likely to suspect me when I blow the lid wide open on Protocol Zero. Are you up for breaking into the world’s most secure location while I provide a distraction?”

  Shannon smirked. “Why, Mister Councilman, I do believe I am.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I had to contact both Malcolm and Nathan Hawthorne but having already dealt with one psychopath today in Dracula, I decided to call my werewolf friend first. Changing into my one suit of clothing, I took Shannon’s phone and headed out past the back yard to the beach before dialing the number Malcolm had given me.

  “Midnight Tech Support, how can I help you?” A voice lacking much of Malcolm’s usual inflections answered the phone.

  “Malcolm?” I asked, surprised at his lack of an accent.

  “Oh, hey D.” Malcolm’s accent returned in force. “You still alive?”

  “So far.”

  “Good to know. The Pact be celebrating the death of so many vampires. My pack is coming into town and we be going on a hunt. Kill some of the Mister Fangs, stick their heads on poles, the usual. Be good fun, yo.”

  “How would you like a chance to do some real damage to the Vampire Nation?”