The Second Book of Babylon

by Barry Reese

  Jennifer felt her heart lurch. The Baroness—she’d heard of her. Rumor had it that she was a vampire like Bloodshot but of much older vintage.

  She could feel Gideon inside of her, urging her to release him. She fought it down, though, thinking Not yet, Gideon. There’s no way we can fight our way through all of this. Let’s wait and see what she’s up to.

  Onstage, the Baroness continued her spiel. The crowd seemed to be hanging on her every word, more than eager to accept her leadership. “The governments of Europe are in disarray. More than half of them are already turning over the keys to the kingdom. They like to believe that the European Union will protect them. They are wrong. We are the wolves who will prey amongst the sheep, and all of Europe shall be our hunting grounds!” A roar of approval nearly deafened Jennifer, who readied several protective and offensive spells, just in case the situation took a turn south.

  “I have placed agents in all levels of government, throughout England and France. They are loyal to me and, thus, to all of you. I propose that the heads of the various covens, guilds, and societies come together and form—” The Baroness paused in her speech, her eyes narrowing. For a second, she seemed to sniff the air, like a wild beast stalking her prey. She glared out into the crowd. “Familiar blood is here tonight, my friends. Very familiar.”

  “She’s on to us,” Jennifer whispered.

  Suspira blinked. “What are you talking about? She doesn’t know either one of us.”

  Jennifer felt the change coming over her, even as someone in the crowd shouted something about a slayer being present. It was too late for her to prevent Gideon’s ascendance, however, for the cosmic spirit of retribution was all too eager to deliver righteous vengeance. The Baroness fairly stank of innocent blood and Babylon would not be denied.

  There, amidst the crowd, appeared a figure wrapped from head to toe in gleaming silver armor. Babylon cast one baleful glance at Suspira, asking, “Do you fight with me, daughter of darkness? Or do you stand with the enemies of all that is good and pure?”

  Suspira rolled her eyes. “Seven Hells, could you be any more dramatic? Yeah, I’m on your side.” Eldritch energy swirled about her hands and she turned just in time to blast a vampire who was lunging toward her.

  Babylon exploded with cosmic energy, knocking aside several more creatures. The battle had begun, but he feared that the true target of his anger—the Baroness—would flee in the confusion of the moment.

  He was right.

  ***

  The Baroness rushed into the alley behind the club, her eyes narrowed into cat-like slits. The necromancer named Nekros was at her side, looking frail and old. “I warned you against coming here, Baroness. What if we are captured?”

  The vampire smiled coldly as she moved toward a waiting car. “Have no fear, old man. Even though this evening ended early, I accomplished my goal. My name will be on the lips of every undead in the city—and soon, the rest of England.”

  “I quite agree,” a new voice said, cracking like a whip from behind them.

  The Baroness came to a stop, whirling about and preparing to face any threat that might have presented itself. What she saw, however, was a bit surprising.

  The lithe man before her wore a long, dark coat and his eyes shone with an ancient wisdom. His mouth was long and sneering, with rows upon rows of needle-sharp teeth that gleamed in the moonlight.

  The Baroness clenched her hands into fists, whispering, “Identify yourself quickly, or prepare to meet whatever God you worship.”

  The man laughed merrily, though there was no kindness in it. “My Gods are far too old for you to recognize, my dear.” He moved forward quickly and without fear. “I am Flay—and I will join you, if you wish.”

  “And what makes you think I would care one whit for your ‘help’?”

  “Because I have killed the being called Retribution. And I could do the same for Babylon... or any other enemy you may call your own. And in exchange, you can help me spread fear and chaos in the land of man.”

  The woman paused, sizing him up. There was certainly an air of great age—and great power—about him. Knowing that she had to decide quickly if she wished to escape, she nodded. “Get in. We will talk at my lair.”

  And the man called Flay moved forward, into an alliance of unholy proportions.

  ***

  John Galahad woke up with a terrible pain in his neck. He lay under a bridge, the sounds of people above giving ample evidence that morning had come. The sun hung in the sky, having just risen, and it was presenting a fresh start to a new day. He remembered suddenly the strange flight to freedom that had led him and Amber Greene from the headquarters of W.H.A.T., and he cried out, “Amber! Where are you?”

  “Over here,” she answered. She stepped into view, her clothes and hair dirty and unkempt. “I was admiring your bike. Good thing you kept a spare parked around here just in case... I mean, who does that? Stashes spare rides around the city?”

  “People that have been through Hell and back.”

  Amber smiled. “True.” Her expression faltered slightly. “W.H.A.T. is going to be after us. We need to find Jennifer.”

  John nodded slowly, his mouth feeling dry. He wanted a drink really badly. His dreams had been filled with visions of Roxanne and the kids, making his heart feel heavy and leaden. “Yeah, let’s do that.” He looked at her seriously for a moment. “You put yourself on the line for me. I owe you.”

  Amber looked away. How could she tell him that it had been less about him, and more about her silent infatuation with Jennifer Black... a woman whom Amber had grown to desire, despite having known her mainly through reports and surveillance. “You got me out alive, Galahad. The debt’s repaid in full.”

  And John nodded, sensing there was more to this than she was saying. Whatever her reasons, however, he knew he could trust her. And friends were in short supply these days. Grunting, he moved toward his bike and murmured, “Let’s ride.”

  ***

  Babylon and Suspira returned to her apartment as the sun was first rising. Both of them bore numerous signs of a battle that had been hard fought, but the duo had proven surprisingly deadly as a team. Between Suspira’s mystical might—recently augmented by Gaea—and the Spirit of Vengeance’s strength and penance stare, many a dark creature had been felled.

  “We are here,” Gideon said. “And Jennifer is anxious to once more walk this world.”

  “Great. I’m so tired, I could sleep a week.” She looked at him critically. “You ever get sleepy?”

  “Not as you know it. I do need to rest, however.” He hesitated slightly. “I do not trust you.”

  “No duh.” She shrugged. “You shouldn’t worry, though. I like Jen, even if she is a bit stiff.”

  Gideon stepped away from her, concentrating to cause the shift between Babylon and Jennifer Black. “Be true to your word, then.”

  Suspira watched with a smirk as the flesh began to return to Babylon’s skull and his form grew smaller and more feminine. It was fascinating to watch and Suspira found herself intrigued by—

  Jennifer fell forward, screaming in terrible agony. Cosmic flame flickered around her body, even as Jennifer resumed control of her form. The burning was horrible, and Jennifer’s face looked like she was in the worst form of pain imaginable.

  Suspira lunged forward to try and smother the flames, but the mystic fire would not respond. “Jen! What’s wrong? Please tell me!”

  “She’s discovering that being a servant of Mother doesn’t go well with being a servant of retribution.”

  Suspira turned to look at a grizzled older man who stepped into view. His battered and worn hat looked like it had seen better days—much like the rest of him. “Who the hell are you?” she asked, continuing to pat down Jennifer to no avail.

  Fisher knelt down beside Jennifer and whispered a few words, speaking in an ancient and powerful language. The flames died away, leaving a shaken and pained Jennifer. “I’m a friend, Suspira.
You have to believe that. And right now, I’m the only one who knows how to save Jennifer’s life. Because this is only going to get worse—eventually, the pain will come even when she’s not making the change. Because life and death—or even aspects of it—are not meant to coexist in one mortal form.”

  Suspira watched as the Fisher lifted her easily into his arms and turned back toward Suspira’s flat. A woman stood there on the doorstep, dressed in an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse and ankle-length skirt. The woman looked familiar to Suspira, though she could not place her. In the end, Suspira concluded, she didn’t care who they were. If they could help Jennifer that was all that mattered—and even Suspira was surprised at how strongly she felt about it all.

  ***

  Jennifer woke up to a strange sense of emptiness within her. She felt refreshed, as if she’d slept for days... but the sense of having lost something precious still remained.

  She looked about her, seeing that she was in one of Suspira’s spare bedrooms, one adorned with posters of the Finnish gothic rock group known as HIM. “Suspira?”

  There was no answer, forcing Jennifer to venture forth into the rest of the apartment. She felt alone, so alone... and she wanted badly to find Suspira or Fisher or Bansi or anyone.

  She heard concerned voices from the living room, speaking in quiet whispers. Despite her pressing need for companionship, Jennifer found herself stopping to eavesdrop.

  “It’s the best thing that could have happened,” John Galahad said. His voice, which Jennifer recognized immediately, was a welcome surprise for Jennifer. She’d feared she wouldn’t see him again. “She’ll realize that. Eventually.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Suspira retorted. “What if she hates us for this?”

  “It was necessary,” Fisher said. “Gaea had marked her as an agent of the Earth, of the life-giving forces. A decision had to be made.”

  “But why this one?” Suspira asked, pressing. The girl sounded almost guilty, as if she had committed some grave misdeed. “She should have been given a fucking choice!”

  Jennifer leaned closer, a frown forming on her face. They’re talking about me. But what on Earth... ?

  Galahad again. “The only concern I have is where he’s ending up next. If he’s in one of my kids, I swear to God that—”

  “Calm yourself!” Fisher hissed. “I’ve told you that he rests for now. The Barrier has made it possible to halt the curse, if only for a brief time. Where he goes after that... Well, we will test whether or not your bloodline is truly free or not.”

  “They’re not,” someone answered. Jennifer placed her voice as Topaz, the empath who’d died months ago. “The rest of the family is still in danger.”

  “Then I have twice as much reason to get out from under this damned Barrier and help my family!”

  Jennifer stepped into the room then, silencing John and the others. They looked at her in alarm, obviously fearful of what she had heard. It all made sense now, the feeling of loss...

  She touched her stomach, as if she had lost a child. It was a strange comparison, she knew, for Gideon was far older than she and was certainly not childlike in any way. But he had been a part of her, a member of her bloodline, and they had been stronger together than either had been apart.

  “Jen... ?” Suspira asked.

  Jennifer backed away. “You trapped him in the void. All alone.”

  Fisher looked at her with sympathy. “You have become one of Gaea’s Witches, Jennifer. You have a great destiny now, one that does not include Gideon Black. You may even become the Sorceress Supreme of—”

  “Shut up,” she said, in a voice so cold that all in the room felt a chill go through them. “I never would have chosen this path if I’d known it would cost Gideon his freedom.”

  The girl, trained years before by a mage of lost Atlantis, rushed from the room and locked herself away in the bedroom. She ignored the concerned cries of those on the other side of the door, instead slowly sliding to the floor and crying. I’m sorry, Gideon. I let you down. First the mages, and now this...

  And somewhere, in a Void far away from mortal men, a being who once loved a woman so much that he pledged his soul to the forces of retribution, stood all alone, in a field of pure emptiness.

  He faintly heard Jennifer’s mental voice, though it was slipping away now, like Gideon Black’s every attempt at happiness. You were stronger than I, Jennifer. And you will recover from this... for I feel that you, Suspira, and Topaz may yet turn the tide in the war for England’s soul.

  And the time will come again when Babylon shall fly forth.

  We must only have patience.

  Chapter XIV Everything Old Is New Again

  Six Months Later

  Bloodshot stood up, enjoying the feel of blood dripping off his chin. She tasted good... really good. It was enough to almost make him forget about the blaring sirens.

  Pulling himself reluctantly away, the vampiric killer moved toward the open window of the girl’s flat. Bloodshot had been following her for nearly three days before he made his move. She had been a scrumptious little thing, with raven-black hair and a wiggle in her walk. He’d tried to hold his desires off as long as possible, but he’d finally given in to the urges he felt. He’d raped her and killed her... and would have raped her again if the police hadn’t begun to arrive, attracted by her screams.

  He stood crouched in the window, watching as the police began swarming out of their cars down below. Several of them looked decidedly non-human, with pale yellow-green skin and bulging eyes. Some type of goblin, he realized. God, this whole world has gone crazy since the Barrier went up. Now we’ve got freakin’ goblins in the police department. Save me.

  Bloodshot threw himself across the open space between his window and the next rooftop. He landed smoothly, keeping himself low. Once upon a time, he’d been mostly human with just a few unique abilities—cybernetic teeth for tearing and rending, the ability to “black out” an area—but since his rebirth as a vampire a few years back, he was more than any normal man could hope to be. He was beautiful and strong, and nothing could stop him.

  Nothing except Babylon, a voice whispered in his head. He frowned at the thought, trying to push it away. He didn’t even know why it had risen up. Babylon had been missing for months now and Bloodshot had no reasons to want him back. Because he always kicks your ass, the voice teased again. “Shut up,” he hissed.

  “I haven’t said anything.”

  The man’s voice, so eerily familiar, actually sent a chill down Bloodshot’s spine. He stood up straight, resisting the urge to whirl around and confront the voice. “You’re dead.”

  “I was. Wasn’t the first time, though. You killed me years ago, remember? Ripped my throat out. I got better then... and I got better now.”

  Bloodshot swallowed hard, his eyes narrowing. “Is this some trick? You think I’m going to be scared like some little punk? I’m not afraid of you, not even if you have come back from the dead.”

  “You should be.” The young man stepped around the vampire, moving into his field of vision. Handsome, with short trimmed hair, smooth brown skin, and eyes that seemed perpetually worried... It’s him, all right, Bloodshot thought. The man wore tight jeans and a leather jacket, both of which looked slightly out of place on him. He was too much of a pretty boy to carry off the tough-guy look. “Hi, Bloodshot. How have you been? Killed any innocent girls lately?”

  Bloodshot growled and swiped out at the man before him. His sharp nails just missed the pretty boy’s face. “I’m going to mess you up, kid. The way I’ve always wanted to.”

  Bloodshot’s opponent smiled at that, which proved a bit worrisome to the vampire. The kid had never looked happy about being in a fight. Never. “You should have never come to England, Bloodshot. Would have been a lot less painful for you.” Punctuating his words with a sharp kick into the vampire’s groin, the young man began to attack in earnest. He punched and slapped Bloodshot like a man possessed
, driving his opponent backward.

  Bloodshot could scarcely believe it. The kid had always been Babylon’s weak point in the past. But now... Now he was almost savage. Driven to his knees, Bloodshot raised up a hand to ward off another blow. “Stop,” he said, spitting out a large wad of blood and gore.

  Daniel Higgins stared down at the man below him. Bloodshot had killed his sister and had tormented him for decades.

  All because Dan had stood up to him. Humiliated him. Scarred him.

  Dan reached out and wrapped his fingers in Bloodshot’s hair. He tilted the vampire’s head backward and raised a fist into the air. “Go to Hell.”

  ***

  Bloodshot sat up quickly, shivering in the night air. He looked about wildly, taking in his surroundings and anticipating an attack.

  The woods were quiet, with not even the sound of insects to break the silence. Bloodshot forced his heart rate to slow, but the feeling of danger would not pass.

  The dream. Again.

  What did it mean?

  ***

  Jennifer Black slid out from the between the sheets, careful not to wake her lovers. Both Suspira and Amber Greene slept on, snuggling closer to one another. Their relationship—if that’s what you wanted to call it—was an odd one, Jennifer had to admit. She and Suspira had begun sleeping together even before the whole Gaea thing, but Amber was a new addition to the mix. A former agent of W.H.A.T., Amber had developed a mad crush on Jennifer during months of surveillance. She’d even gone so far as to help John escape their custody.