God seems to have left the receiver off the hook, and time is running out. - Arthur Koestler Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. - John the Divine [October 1, 2001. 2:10 a.m. Streets of New Haven.] The unassuming man who was currently called Johnny Basquain put down the suitcase by the curb and sat down on it to rest. It may not look very bulky, but the suitcase was heavy, care of one extremely explosive bomb packed tightly inside it. As he sat, he felt something bulging in his jumpsuit's back pocket, and he reached back to take the offending object out. Johnny wiped the perspiration on his forehead and paused to catchy his breath. He took advantage of the brief respite to mull about his current situation. It had been a while since he left New Haven, and seeing his boss, the man who saved his life, so to speak, again made him happy enough to forget being depressed for a while. He looked down at the cellular phone, the object that he pulled out of his pocket earlier, and was presently idly turning over and over in his hands, and sighed. He had really thought that Karen Hopewell would be The One. They had so much in common, that much he had believed from the times they spent communicating with each other through letters and the occasional email message. The fact that she currently lived in his old stomping grounds, even though he had not set foot in that town for decades, was a bonus. When his contact in the underworld community passed on the transcript informing him, in his usual roundabout way, that something big was up, he didn't even gave it a second thought. "Some knight in shining armor you turned out to be," Johnny muttered to himself. As much as he was grateful for Kramer, he's had enough of adventure working for NICE that would fill several lifetimes. All he wanted now was to settle down and live the rest of his life in some quiet, peaceful town with the woman he love (loved?), and maybe raise a couple or trio of kids together. Now even that may be impossible. The worst part was the betrayed looks she was giving him whenever she thought he wouldn't notice her. How can he tell her the truth about his nature? He had been terrified of being found out while they were in Kramer's shop, since his absent- minded boss, despite being an important figure during the Great Mage War, can be very candid when dealing with mudanes. He didn't want her to know that he was far more than the well-traveled insurance agent and small-time businessman that he made himself out to be, at least, not yet. How could he explain to her why he swiped the orb from Kramer's hands and ran off with it? With Harlukia's false soul, they might had been able to bargain with the Vampire Lord for safe passage out of New Haven, or at least until he can get in touch with his contact for backup. But Charlie, Karen's eccentric brother, would have none of that. It would have been better if his contact hadn't sent him the transcript... He shook his head. He knew things could have been different if he never tried this crazy stunt, and Karen wouldn't have hated him like she does now, but he would still have died when things got crazy around the rest of the world, and he would have ended up here, ordered by his boss do drag a suitcase full of enough explosives to seal off hell itself. Which, if what he heard of the fate of Landon Kramer were true, would be literal. Then again, he would never have met the most extraordinary group of people he had met these past few days. Sure, there were many others that he encountered during his other missions that his boss sent him, but they were different. Different, in the sense that they were ordinary people, who were placed in extraordinary circumstances, and had managed to overcome them to become extraordinary. At the very least, he may still be remembered after all of this is over. "Better to be hated than be forgotten," he tried to console himself. Johnny's thoughts went back to the cell phone, and a thought occurred to him. If the signal still held true... He looked down, and was surprised to find the phone on the floor between his bare feet. "That's odd..." he mused as he picked it up. "I didn't recall dropping it..." Entering his message took several tries, since for some reason his fingers seemed to be missing the keys entirely. Dismissing it as exhaustion, he sent a long and concise text message to Niemann, and then continued on his way, making a mental note to keep an eye out for shoes as he went. ======== And it was a good thing he did so, although the gigantic pair of clogs that nearly trampled him in passing when he rounded a corner wasn't what Johnny had in mind. Catastrophe, underneath the careful tutelage of Disaster, smiled proudly at her latest creation. Disaster, on top of Catastrophe's accomplishment, was pleased, and emptied himself in praising his charge. Catastrophe, feeling Disaster's praises enter and fill her, set out again, even more determined to do more to please her teacher. Fortune, feeling left out, joined in on the action. Hi-ho. ======== [October 1, 2001. 2:15 a.m. Kramer's Antiques.] As soon as the visiting mages were far enough, Ahzgahzganahznergal, Under-Fiend of the Second Circle, cleared his throat and turned towards his companion. "So..." he trailed off. "So..." Roderick Kramer nodded in affirmation. "Want to join me in tracking the catalyst, Ned?" Ned thought it over very briefly. "Sure, why not?" he shrugged. "Nothing else better to do otherwise than wait out for Apocalypse." "Very well then..." Kramer began rummaging through the back of the counter for the equipment he stowed there beforehand. "But first..." Ned lifted two bottles of wine for inspection. "A brief repast?" Kramer peered closer to read their names, and noted the animated winemakers hard at work in the illustrated vineyard on the label. "'La Bouteille Magique de Chandon'," he confirmed as he produced two wine glasses from underneath the counter. "I was wondering where I put those..." "Shall we?" Ned suggested. "Yes, let's get pissed. Might as well enjoy it while we can." ===================================== New Haven ------------------------------------- an Eyewitness Account from Ground Zero Scene 2-5: Shiva gets Jiggy with iT. Started by Thomas Wilde and James Howard Reported by a "Signus Megido" ===================================== [Date and time Classified.] Patsy awoke to the sound of someone's cell phone beeping the bars to 'American Pie'. "Whu-whu-whut wuzzat?" He mumbled. "It's nothing, sir," General Niemann replied as he checked the message he received. "Just a crank call." "Oh." Patsy looked out the window. "Where are we, anyway?" "We're heading towards a classified military airfield," Niemann explained. "A plane is waiting there to fly us to your scheduled meeting with the other world leaders." "Meeting? What meeting?" Patsy looked confused. Niemann was patiently grim. "To discuss the events surrounding New Haven, of course, sir. It's now a global concern, and no longer just an issue of National Security." "I see." Patsy nodded, then leaned back in his seat again. "Wake me up when we get there then." ======== [Date and time Classified.] GRAUSWEIN: What happened? R.E.D. INK: Someone set u-- STILLETO: Will you stop with the corny jokes? This is a serious matter. R.E.D. INK: So what? It's just him. It's not like it was anyone important. STILLETO: Need I remind you that for the rest of the world he is The President of The United States of America? Don't you think that's a serious reason enough for us? R.E.D. INK: Okay, okay. Sorry. Sheesh, you don't have to be so mad. STILLETO: He was kidnapped right under our noses, and by a Canadian we promoted as Chief of Staff. Of course I have every reason to be mad. GRAUSWEIN: Wait. You mean Niemann did this? R.E.D. INK, STILLETO: Yes. GRAUSWEIN: I see. Well, that clears up a lot. STILLETO: What do you mean? GRAUSWEIN: A red herring. R.E.D. INK: Please elaborate. GRAUSWEIN: Niemann was operating independently. Whatever his plans may be with The President, discrediting our country may be the least of them. STILLETO: What can we do? GRAUSWEIN: We know nothing of his intentions, and for all we know his reasons may not come in conflict with ours. All we can do is maintain the government and prepare to take the brunt of the revelations that may come. R.E.D. INK: I'm all for that. So, anyone want to watch football? ======== [Date and time Classified.] Niemann finished reading the message. A small smile began to form on the corners of his mouth. He speed- dialed a number. "Your Excellency," he said to the person at the other end of the line. "All is going as scheduled. Everything will soon return to what it was meant to be..." ======== [October 1, 2001. 1:45 a.m. Outside New Haven Maximum Security Prison.] The two vampires who survived the mess at Coltrane Park were looking at the new building through the gates. The two ran at the first signs of a massacre (which was when their fellow vampire Kevin getting himself decapitated by Legion) and ended up here. It was Doug who first noticed it. "Hey," he said as he sniffed the air to make sure, "Do you smell what I'm smelling?" "Mmph," Adam, his mouth still sewn shut, replied. "Yesss... Lots and lots of juicy fleshy bloodbags, all gathered in one place..." Doug could barely suppress a girlish giggle. "All of them just standing there... waiting... to become food... for us..." "Hello?" A voice called out from within the building. Without further prompting, the two scared shitless vampires pressed themselves as close to the shadows of the wall as they could. They heard two pairs of footsteps approach. "Hello?" The voice called out again. Adam turned his head and met the gaze of a pretty girl in a nurses' outfit. She smiled as she saw him. "You were right, Melissa. There is someone here." Ever the oh-so-smooth monster, Doug stepped out of the shadows and waved his arms menacingly. "RAARGH! Foolish mortals! We are VAMPIRES! And we are going to EAT YOU!" That earned a glare from Kelly, who caught a fainting Melissa in her arms. "That's not funny," she chastised him. "You should know better than to make stupid jokes like that at a time like this." Doug's earlier bravado deflated. "Um... Sorry," he muttered, looking downcast and dejected. Kelly smiled winsomely at them. "Apology accepted. Now let's get you two into the safety of the building before any real monsters show up. We wouldn't want that to happen now, wouldn't we?" She opened the gates and beckoned to the two whom she saw as nothing more than two lonely, lost, and confused hungry young men. "Of course not." Doug wiped the drool from his mouth. "If you're hungry, we've got lots of food stocked in here," Kelly added. "Yeah, we can tell," Doug said and shared a high-five with Adam. And so it goes. ======== [October 1, 2001. 1:32 a.m. Coltrane Park.] The zombie that the extraplanar entity that called itself Shadow previously possessed slowly oozed the remains of its blood on the ashen ground. To an observer, the zombie seemed to have more blood that a normal human body was supposed to hold, much less a decomposing corpse. Those more aware of supernatural influences would realize that something, or someone, was coaxing the blood to flow towards a certain spot. Slowly, inexplicably, a hand shot up. An arm soon followed, then the shoulder, and finally, the rest of the immortal vampire Harlukia arose from the ashes, grumbling all the while. "Damnstupidpieceof..." Harlukia paused to regard himself. Realizing the state of undress he was in, he concentrated briefly, summoning his usual clothes to cover himself up. "There, that's better..." Something caught his eye. "Hmm, what's this?" He picked up the heavy device, a mess of clockwork gears and things arranged in a way that would boggle the mind. His earlier anger gone, curiosity got the best of him as he poked at several switches in the midst. Part of the park and the nearby block vanished. "Well, well..." Harlukia observed, a slow smile spreading on his face. "This bears more experimentation..." That was then he finally noticed the silvery sigil at his feet. Granted, the mystic seal was easy to miss, since it had already grown to encompass the whole of Coltrane Park. The great and fearless immortal Vampire Lord Harlukia, having had some occult background in the past, recognized the Enochian writing. He decided that it was a good time to make a run for it, and did so, the Antikythera Mechanism tucked safely in his arms. Along the way he passed by two warring groups between giant fishmen and bone shamblers, who both paid him no mind. Hi-ho. ======== [October 1, 2001. 2:40 a.m. Streets of New Haven.] "Haven't we done this scene before?" Father Edgewood asked humorlessly as the three Vatican agents and their guide were surrounded by a mass of zombies. "Oh ye of little faith," Father Bruno quipped as he gripped his (newly-found) crucifix so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Archbishop Luccini sighed and drew his crucifix-mace, smacking several of the zombies around with a few swings. Aria was close behind him for protection from the undead horde. "All right, that's it..." Edgewood grumbled, and pulled out a shotgun from within the folds of his robes. He aimed with one hand and fired once, vaporizing the nearest zombie's head with it. Bruno was flabbergasted. "Where did you get that?" "Picked it up from the armory," Edgewood explained. He winced. "Ow. I think I broke my hand..." "Oh, dear..." Aria began, before a sudden shout caused them to turn around. Archbishop Luccini was knocked to the ground, the multitude of zombies slowly overwhelming him. Having dropped the cross, he had pulled out a crucifix and was waving it frantically around in an attempt to shield himself. Something snapped. The next thing Bruno saw was Aria wailing at the zombies with the huge weapon Luccini dropped earlier. This seemed to have an effect on the zombies, who were retreating from the furious nurse of vengeance. Edgewood was stunned and stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the sight. Bruno went over to Luccini's side. "Are you all right, Archbishop?" Luccini took several brief gasps from his inhaler, and then composed himself. "Yes, Father Bruno, I'm fine, now..." "Wow..." was all Edgewood had to say. When the last of the zombies still animated were gone, Aria turned to face the three priests. Visibly trembling, she leaned on the cross for support. "They're gone," she said. "That technique," Luccini spoke. "You are a member of the Black Marian Division." "I was for a couple of months," Aria corrected him, "before I was discharged, I was a nun serving the Vatican Operations Group. Now I'm merely a simple caretaker who serves the Lord in my humble way." "I see." "Yes." Aria motioned towards the surburbs. "Shall we continue on our way?" The priests nodded, and they went on their journey. "Out of curiosity," Bruno said. "I'd like to know why did you leave the convent?" "The Mother Superior of the Black Marian Division said I was too prone to violence," she explained. "Oh." ======== [October 1, 2001. 2:20 a.m. Outside the Rascombe Building.] "So where are we off to now?" Micheal Lime asked the couple as they stepped out of the abandoned building. "Back to the prison, I guess," Charlie Hopewell replied. "I hope Karen's okay." The skies rumbled. Alicia Carmine elbowed him. "Don't say things like that," she hissed. "Okay, okay, so--what's this?" Charlie looked surprised as he pulled out a glowing orb from his pocket. "Hey, isn't that the orb that contained a simulacrum of Harlukia's soul?" Michael pointed out. "Why on earth do you have something like that?" Alicia exclaimed, shuddering at the memory of her somewhat inept vampire captor. Charlie smacked his forehead. "We were supposed to be using this thing to bargain with Harlukia to save you," he explained. "I guess I've forgotten about it during the confusion." Alicia hugged him. "You big stupid lug," she said, her voice muffled on his chest. "Just when I was wondering why I love you, you goober, you had to go and do something crazy like this to remind me." "It's nothing, really..." Charlie grinned goofily, resisting the urge to scoop her in his arms and settled with embracing her back. "I'm just glad you're safe." Michael cleared his throat. "Hate to break the mushy tearjerking scene up, you guys, but I believe it's time for us to go. We'd be attracting more attention if we stick around any longer." "Wait a moment," Charlie said, reluctantly pulling Alicia away from him. "We've got to return this to Kramer first. It's the least we can do to repay his help." "For nothing," Michael muttered under his breath. He brightened at a thought. "Hey, maybe he's got something that could help us out." Charlie nodded. "Yup. Just what I had in mind as well." The trio headed out towards Kramer's shop, Michael jotting notes along the way. Moments later, a scouting party of the creatures that came from the dimension at the other end of the portal arrived, only to find the absence of a portal, hence their way home. Naturally, they were pissed. ======== [End Chapter 18] -Signus Megido Herald of the Last Army