Eldritch Ops

by Phipps, C. T.

  “My people have been fighting the vampires for centuries,” Malcolm said, all trace of his unusual vernacular gone. In its place was a deep and throaty Nassau accent, tinged with sorrow and sadness. “I have known thirty-six wolves, lions, and crows who have given their lives trying to break the hold of the Vampire Nation. My many-times-removed grandmother was the werewolf who killed Benjamen Horningold after his turn into one of the undead, and my father died trying to kill the vampire Joshua, whom we call Silverblade.”

  I thought about the muscular black vampire on Dracula’s jet. “I had a chance to kill him earlier this week, but I failed. I’m sorry I didn’t kill him.”

  “Like you could succeed where we have failed,” Shadow said, taking my every word in the worst possible way.

  Yeah, to be honest, I could. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Then what did you mean, Committee-man?” one of the twins asked.

  “Yes, what?” the other twin said.

  “Night, Day, I will brook no disrespect,” Malcolm said. “Am I your leader or not?”

  “You are,” all the pack said at once, with little enthusiasm. “Our claws are yours, Pack Lord.”

  “Then shut the hell up and let me handle this,” Malcolm snapped at them.

  They all fell silent.

  I smiled. I liked his style.

  “So, say we all,” Shannon said, under her breath.

  “Night and Day?” Penny asked, looking between them. “Are those like your werewolf names?”

  “Hacker handles,” Malcolm said, smiling. “We met on the internet, yo.”

  “That must be very useful against the Vampire Nation,” I said, trying to get our meeting back on track.

  “And the Committee,” Malcolm said, mollifying his pack’s hostility. “Today, we are allies and perhaps tomorrow as well.”

  “I accept that,” I said, hoping that would be the end of it. “Have you informed your group about what we’re doing?”

  “Breaking into Alcatraz, taking pictures, getting out. Killing anyone who tries to mess with us. That about it?” Malcolm said, looking at me.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” I said.

  “Dracula may attack soon,” Penny said, looking between them. “In which case, do you know whom to attack?”

  “Fangs and everyone who attacks us,” Shadow said. “That right?”

  “Two for two,” I said.

  “If worse comes to worse, I’ll take you guys into the Otherworld and we’ll escape that way,” Penny said, providing a viable exit strategy. “I only have enough power for one use, though, so we’ll have to use this fishing boat to get in.”

  “Shapechangers know the Otherworld,” Day said, looking straight at Penny. “Don’t worry about us.”

  “I’ll be leading the mission.” Shannon looked between them. “Malcolm, you can command your people, but we need a clear chain of command here.”

  The Dead Coyotes looked uncomfortable with Shannon’s decision, exchanging glances that could only be described as predatory.

  “I thought I would handle my people and you yours, or at least you would be in charge, D.”

  “Is something wrong with my leadership?” Shannon asked, adjusting her glasses.

  “You’re a lilin.” Shadow, it seemed, was the blunt one. “We kill lilin.”

  “So do I.” Shannon’s voice brooked no disagreement.

  “I think Shannon’s the best one for straight-up infiltration and will be able to find an egress easier than I can,” I said, honestly appraising our abilities. “It’s my hope I can find a more direct route into the building.”

  “More direct, how?” Malcolm asked.

  “I’m hoping they’ll let me in,” I answered, giving a confident smile.

  They didn’t look impressed.

  Before I got to say anything else, I heard the Heavy’s “Short Change Hero” play on my cellphone. Pulling it out, I checked it and saw the words: I’M HERE. Looking up above my head, I saw a helicopter approaching in the distance. My father, rather than communicate over the phone, had chosen to come here directly.

  Great.

  “Who is that?” Shadow said, following my gaze. “You better not have betrayed us, Committee-man.”

  “Shadow, I swear, another word and I will beat you so hard your aunt will be cursing me for a month,” Malcolm said, following us both. “Not that I disagree with the sentiment. I don’t recall a helicopter in your description, D.”

  “It’s just the final piece to the puzzle,” I said, walking to the edge of the boat and stepping out on the dock. “Are you willing to follow Shannon’s lead?”

  “A debt is a debt,” Malcolm said. “I’m as anxious to get it repaid as you are to discharge it.”

  “Then do so,” I said, looking between them. “It’s a long ride to the island, and you guys better get started on it. I’ll either catch up with you or find an alternative means of reaching the island.”

  “How will we communicate?” Penny asked.

  I lifted my cellphone. “Lucy will be doing a lot of erasing this week.”

  Penny nodded. “Dad will understand once you explain the situation to him. He’ll be an ally.”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s what I expect to happen.”

  I turned around and started walking back to the house. I gave my odds at about fifty-fifty for walking away from this meeting alive.

  I was about to confront Nathan Hawthorne, the most powerful wizard in the world, about the evil he’d allowed to fester in the heart of the House.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  A Hades-720 unmarked black helicopter landed in the middle of the house’s back yard. Hades choppers were yet another fine product of the Pantheon Corporation and invisible to damn near all forms of surveillance. I suspected if I removed my Ring of Veritas, I wouldn’t even be able to see it.

  Nathan Hawthorne, looking as young as he had when I was born, stepped out of the back of the vehicle wearing a Panama hat and a white suit with a black tie. I was tempted to make a Fantasy Island reference, but my snark levels were running low. A pair of sunglasses rested on his face, and he looked relaxed for a man I’d discovered was running an underground prison specializing in mind control.

  I did note one thing, though. He was carrying a glyph-covered walking stick tipped with a gold Chinese dragon on the end. It was an enhancer, which meant my father was prepared to be attacked. Dramatic overkill, since he was already one of the most powerful wizards on Earth.

  “Greetings, Derek!” my father said, waving to his pilot. She was an attractive short-haired blonde woman in her mid-forties. The helicopter shut down its rotating blades as my father walked up to face me. “What does the prodigal son want from me this time?”

  “Prodigal would mean I’ve returned,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “Which I never intend to do.”

  “No, you just come to me whenever you need a favor,” Nathan said.

  “I don’t put my personal distaste for you over the world.”

  “You realize I never intended for you to kill Ashley,” Nathan said.

  “The fact you didn’t bother to tell me says everything it needs to about our relationship,” I said.

  “Would you like to know where she is now?” Nathan asked, leaning on his walking stick as if making a point.

  “Also, that you’d say something like that. A real father would never blackmail his son.”

  “I would never blackmail you. This is extortion.”

  I hated when my father made jokes, especially when they were funny. “I’m not here about that.”

  Ashley was better off without me. It broke my heart to acknowledge it, which made me even angrier.

  “I need to talk to you,” I said, forcing down my distaste.

  “So, I gathered.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Wave hi to Nancy.” Nathan gestured with his oft hand to the pilot.

  “Hi, Nancy,” I said, waving to her. She couldn’t hea
r me, so I said, “Must you try and make me like your mistresses?”

  “Your mother left me, Derek. As for mistresses, the laws of men prevent me from marrying them all. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat the mothers of your siblings with respect.”

  I decided to nip this conversation in the bud. “Camp Zero is in danger.”

  My father stood very still. “How do you know about Camp Zero?”

  “Dracula is going to attack it. Christopher had huge numbers of files on its layout, prisoners, and practices. I doubt he’s scratched the surface, but he’s clearly been investigating for some time. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are several leaks.”

  My father put down his walking stick and removed his sunglasses. “You know, Derek, the Committee would find it a lot easier to trust you if not for the fact that you seem to make it a habit of getting priceless intelligence from our worst enemies.”

  “I thought I was on the Committee.”

  “You’re no longer a pawn in the chess board of life, Derek, but that doesn’t make you a king. You’re more like a rook, bashing through things in straight lines. You have to earn the respect of your fellow Committee members.”

  “I would worry about their respect more if they weren’t some of the evilest men on Earth.”

  “They are,” my father said, surprising me. “They are, without a doubt, the most ruthless, ambitious, and intelligent monsters on Earth. From the kleptocracy dictatorships of Africa to the United States’ current predominate position, they shape global politics to suit their whims. Dracula is on their level. Therefore you need their respect, so you can convince them to do things your way with a minimum of crushing the little guy.”

  “Which giving them mind control helps avoid,” I said, trying not to growl. The whole situation with Camp Zero was insane.

  “I sabotaged thirty years of research with Project: Stargate, making sure will-manipulating psychic powers seemed unusable by the House. Mind control has existed as an objective of rulers since the first cave men figured out threatening to bash in their neighbor’s skull was a good way of getting what you want. You’re lucky I slowed the progress of the technology as long as I did. Eventually, though, someone was going to figure it out. Which they did.”

  I was confused. I hadn’t suspected Nathan to support my position. “So, you’re saying you don’t approve of Protocol Zero?”

  “I find it one of the most repulsive operations the House has ever conceived of, which is saying something. Mind control is an abomination. Without free will there is functionally no difference between the living and the dead. Using it against vampires just opens the door to using it against humans—which they did, starting with our own agents. I got on board hoping to ride herd but failed.”

  I closed my eyes, shaking my head. “Why wasn’t I informed of this? Why was I kept in the dark about all these agents sabotaging the Vampire Nation?”

  “Because, Derek, you’re the friendly face of the Committee. The next generation everyone trusts. You went out of your way to repudiate dozens of our most unpopular projects and divisions, all which made people think we’d stopped them. When . . . someone . . . cracked the code for manipulating minds and giving regular humans the power of mesmerism, it represented a fantastic change in the balance of power. The best I could do was try and aim it. They could have used it in far more disturbing ways than targeting the vampire’s infrastructure.”

  I made a mental note of his refusal to say who had cracked the code. “All of my negotiations were in bad faith, then? There was never any chance of peace between humans and vampires, was there?”

  “Why would you want there to be? You said it yourself, the human race is someday going to wake up and discover the Truth. When the supernatural goes public, I don’t care how many romantic vampire books exist, the undead are going to be a serious cause for concern. You can’t really put a spin on eating people. If we take them off the board, we might arrange a more peaceful awakening.”

  “No matter how many people are killed in the crossfire.”

  “If you’re referring to the war in the Middle East and terror attacks we sponsored to break the Vampire Nation’s economic power, it was the least likely to result in millions of deaths. Collateral damage happens every year. Just how many people do you think have died because the House suppresses healing magic? The estimate would stagger you.”

  I guessed the number to be in the billions. “I don’t know you.”

  “Wake up! It is better than the alternative. Human society exists because people don’t think there’s a monster under the bed. They’re going to pull out their flashlights and find out the truth, but maybe we can keep them from screaming themselves to death. That’s the only option here, Derek, and mesmerism is just another tool to do that.”

  I looked at him. “Do you really believe that?”

  My father stopped, right before he was going to say something else. “No, I don’t. It’s the problem of being a spy. You sometimes forget which are the lies you’re telling for the House and which you’re telling yourself. The House has and will misuse this power and now that it’s proven to work, they’re going to use it more.”

  “Can’t you oppose its use on moral grounds?”

  Nathan raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay, stupid question.”

  Nathan Hawthorne reached over and put his hand on my shoulder. “Are you familiar with Eric Arthur Blair’s true story?”

  “Who?”

  “Also known as George Orwell. He was the author of Animal Farm, 1984, and The Lion and the Unicorn.”

  “You could have just said George Orwell,” I said, looking around.

  “Did you know the CIA purchased the rights to his books after his death and misused funds to create pro-West, anti-communist movies based on his work?”

  “I recall hearing about it.”

  “Did I ever tell you I was one of those CIA agents?” my father said, looking sick to his stomach. “I did it under one of my cover identities.”

  He hadn’t told me. “I thought you liked communists. Mao gave you pandas and almost as many medals as the Allies did.”

  My father looked at me as if he were speaking to a small child. “It’s difficult enough taking you seriously as a Committee member without you acting like a petulant child. I fought with the Red Army against the Japanese and made many friends. When I returned to China after the war, I saw those very same friends do unspeakable things to the people we fought for. I bit my tongue and worked to bring peace between the West and those same people because it was the best way for us all to not end up living on a nuclear dust ball. Can I finish my damn story?”

  I was surprised at my father’s vehemence. “All right.”

  “The Red Room had him killed.”

  I blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “Orwell was already sick with tuberculosis so it was a pointless gesture, yet they smothered him in his hospital bed. Division Two believed he had insider knowledge of the Red Room. That his vision of a world of tortured drones serving underneath an all-powerful secret organization that edited the thoughts of its citizens was a reference to us.”

  “Was it?”

  My father shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. The House has existed since ancient Babylon, and every government of the world has influenced us while the reverse is also true. Wherever there are methods of control and coercion, you’ll find our fingerprints on it, and whenever someone comes up with a new method, we’ll adopt it. Technology and magic are the tools of the system to dominate the world, not because they are evil, but because humanity’s rulers are.”

  “Wow, I think you hate the House more than I do,” I said.

  My father ignored my words. “Division Two intended to suppress his work and let it fade from memory, but I found myself touched by its fundamental bleakness. I argued that it deserved a place in the public consciousness and kept it circulating. I’m the one who wrote the original movie adaptation’s ending wh
ere Winston and Julia die shouting for Big Brother’s downfall.”

  I wasn’t sure why Nathan was telling me all this. “Okay, so you mutilated a classic work of dystopian fiction by giving it a cheesy generic ending. What does this have to do with anything?”

  “My son, I want you to look around here. Take in what the Red Room is doing and what they will be able to accomplish. Your arrival here is more than the work of chance. It is destiny. You told me Dracula is going to attack to warn me. I think it’s an opportunity. I want you to help me destroy Division Zero. Eradicate all of its records and salt the Earth so there’s no remnant to rebuild from.”

  I furrowed my brow, looking sidewise at him.

  “What are you doing?” Nathan asked.

  “I’m trying to disbelieve the illusion of my father in front of me. Because there’s no way you’re him. Are you crazy?”

  Nathan reached into the inside of his suit and pulled out his wallet. “Derek, I’m going to make a bet. One hundred dollars American that you were already planning to arrange a team to find out everything about Division Zero, so you could distribute the truth to the House in hopes of ruining the Committee’s ability to use mind control—at least against its members.”

  I looked at his wallet. “Keep your money.”

  “I thought so. It won’t work. The Chairman and his cronies would order you killed for betraying their trust. Then they’d have my other children killed as a lesson to me. Not that I’d allow it. No, I’d try and stop them and die horribly.”

  “Aren’t you a bundle of joy?”

  “I fought in World War 2. I saw what the Imperialists did, which their descendants deny to this day. I have seen what American military policy does on the ground, surrounded by corpses. This is the stuff humans do, my son. The monsters go one step further. Whether they be wizards or supernaturals. Joy doesn’t enter into it.”

  “I have hope we can do better.” I crossed my arms. “Us as a species, whether we have fangs or not.”

  “We’ve both killed three figures worth of individuals with our own two hands. Hope is a luxury you should have discarded long ago because we can choose the lesser evil, but not the greater good. That option left us when we became part of the oppressors.”