Iron Rain Pt. 12

I stripped the bodies and mixed and matched the best of their combined clothing for my personal used. I used the rest to tear into strips for rope so I could weigh down their bodies with heavy stones in the pond. Then I washed their reeking clothing until it was bearable to wear and then let it dry in what was left of the summer day sun. Sated both sexually and hunger wise I napped until the clothing was dry enough to wear. That was the day they took my name. That was the day the Praetor came with his men and brought me low. But my story goes further back than many suspects and I have more to share with my new host.

I awoke floating on my back in the pool with the obelisk, the heavier mineral rich water supported me and kept me from drowning while I... I relived a portion of Mary Stone's life? I looked down to make sure my man parts were still there and satisfied I was still me I swam to the pools edge and carefully lifted my body from the water. What the hell happened to me anyway? Mary had gripped my head and unleashed a psychic torrent in my mind and then that crazy 'dream'. But it felt so real and I mean no man can possible imagine what it feels like to be a woman, short of radical surgery, but I think I knew. My gaze was drawn to the black stone and its pristine carvings and it was that above all else that gave me that intense wrong feeling about the artifact. How could a rock possible endure decades of water falling upon it and not show some sign of erosion? The water was mineral rich and yet there were absolutely no deposits or layer of muck upon its perfect surface. As my skin dried I decided to explore deeper into the cave system and see what other things I might learn that might help me understand this place better. The further in I went the warmer it got and there were smaller pools but these smelled the way you would expect with a distinct mineral scent as opposed to the almost organic flowery smell of the first chamber. As I meandered through the main tunnel I came to a cathedral sized cave and it was here that I learned where the town got their power from. Sunk into the large pool that dominated this chamber were gleaming pipes that fed the hot water up and away from here and as the pipe headed deeper into the caves the smaller it got. I followed the pipe and another large chamber was filled with some sort of machinery and other pipes led into this centralized hub of mechanical activity. It was an amalgamation of generations of technology overlapping but if I looked closely I could see the original 'steam punk' equipment that had started it all. Somehow they were converting the natural hot springs into steam to power the turbines which created all the electricity they needed and on the cheap I imagined. Once again I could see the far reaching planning involved in the creation and running of this little town. If New York had been this well thought out, just imagine.

I heard the crunch of shoes on the rock floor and spun to see Nik Salte standing there a look of amusement and curiosity on his sharp angular features. It felt like some bird of prey examining its next potential meal.

"You must be Nick Shaw... umm why are you naked in my power plant," his English was very good but there was just a hint of Eastern European in his voice similar but not the same as Petra's speech pattern.

"I didn't want to get my clothes wet after being in the pool at the head of the cave," I said and he nodded.

"Oh okay," he shrugged. "I get that. Why are you here?"

"I got lost in the snow storm and took refuge in here," I could see by his facial reaction that much had happened and I had missed it.

"That storm was over three days ago... were you in the pool that entire time?"

"Yeah why is there some chance at health risks?"

"Oh no on the contrary, the water in the first chamber has some very therapeutic affects," he said casually. "Did you actually touch the stone?"

"Not that I know of... but I did have a bump on my head," I lied. "I wasn't conscious the entire time."

"You better get dressed and I will drive you back into town, there are a lot of people looking for you what with all that has happened," he said all seriousness now.

"What's happened," I asked but he just led the way back out and to my clothes.

The ride back to town was done in complete silence and very few roads were plowed because of the crazy amount of snowfall. It appeared people were still digging out when we reached the town square and from there to the bed and breakfast.

"Good luck Nick and for what it's worth I am sorry," the other Nik said cryptically.

"Thanks," I said and got out and headed up to my room.

The door had barely opened when Kat of all people flew into my arms tears flowing and the deep sobs shook her to the core.

"They killed her, the son of bitches killed mom!"

"What! How could that have happened? She had more bodyguards than god himself," I asked as the rage and the shock of the revelation fought for dominance in me.

"Someone shot her while she was on board the yacht. It was a professional Nick, but they were looking for you," Kat managed to explain between gasps of breath.

"Me," I said and a terrible thing awoke in me, a thing that wanted to find and punish whoever did this thing and whoever put things in motion. "They are dead they don't know it yet but they are all DEAD!"

"Where have you been," it was Akira and did she see the scars that Mary Stone's attack had left on my soul?

"I have walked in darkness again but this time I was not alone," I said. "I have suffered the touch of a Bakaret and yet still I live."

"A soul thief," Akira gasped and her color became as the snow outside. "They are a rare breed indeed; they are the one percent of one percent. How did you survive Kouryou?"

"She let me live to carry her burden and it is a terrible weight indeed," I said hearing the whispers in my mind that were not my own.

"Who did this and I will end her life this very day," Akira promised.

"They took her name from her," I said.

"I know her name," Akira whispered. "We all know 'her' name. It is told to us like the monster from a fairy tale but this fiend is all too real."

"We will speak of this later right now I have more pressing matters to deal with," I said.

My mind was spinning in the red haze but I fought off the urge to go racing off destructively.

"Surfer," I called out and he appeared. "I want every fucking satellite feed of that area both commercial and military as soon as possible."

"Yes Milord," and poof he was gone.

"Lilith," I want every wire transfer of over ten thousand dollars from across the fucking planet."

"Yes Master," she whispered and was gone nearly as soon as she appeared.

"Morrigan," I called out and she manifested in her dark majesty. "What is the status of the Shadow Gambit?"

"Step one is complete and we are ready to proceed to step two," she said with a grim smile.

"Do it," I said and turned to Akira. "I am sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you about this but it is necessary. Grim?"

"Yes Master," he said appearing in his hooded form.

"What were the casualities?"

"More than expected sir, but the Grandmaster is safe and your enemies laid low."

"Good how long until we have ferreted out all the traitors," I asked.

"No more than a few more days, we are approximately seventy three percent finished with phase one," he said proudly.

"Any word from the Eternal Master," I queried trying to determine my next course of action.

"Nothing as yet," Grim replied.

"Phase two is being initiated I need you to prepare for the fall out when the loyal members get word of what is going on. I want you to inform them of the long term goals and how they can be of assistance."

"Yes Master," Grim too was gone.

"What is going on Kouryou," Akira asked as Kat sat down and watched the entire exchange with great interest.

"What are you going to do about mom," Kat asked before I could answer Akira.

"I am going to hunt down and kill everyone involved in mom's death," I told Kat and my conviction seemed to more than satisfy her. "What I have been planning is this," I said turning my full attention to Akira. "At the advice of a Zeitgeist I made plans on testing the loyalty of members of the Order and have flushed out those who would use it for their own ends."

"What sort of plan," Akira asked intrigued and afraid at the same time.

"I had Surfer and Lilith search through the criminal records here in the U.S. and find those men and women who were wrongfully accused of crimes and imprisoned. I had the information then sent to each and every Governor of every state demanding immediate action and prosecution of the judges, lawyers and law enforcement responsible."

"Kouryou, are you mad! No Governor in their right mind would act on that evidence alone."

"I added my seal on the paperwork for good measure," I explained.

"It's not like every elected official are members... wait are they?"

"As I said I added my seal to the documentation to facilitate a knee jerk response and it worked perfectly."

"So how many acted upon the documentation," she asked realizing the scope of the Orders reach.

"Eighty two percent didn't bat an eyelash and moved to pardon those mentioned and bring charges immediately," I told her.

"That many," she mused.

"It is an election year," I told her and she nodded her understanding. "Copies were also sent to the President and he jumped at the chance to oust corruption."

"What about the other eighteen percent," Kat asked.

"They refused and after a quick perusal of their financials it became apparent they were also involved in the removal of key people in their state. They were being paid off by members of Nephilim held corporations who want to keep the status quo, in other words chaotic. The disloyal members acted as expected and went after the key public member of the Order."

"The Grandmaster, but you just helped him get into office," Akira said shocked they would be so bold so soon.

"Yeah, but he was well prepared and protected thanks to the Sisterhood," I told her and her eyes narrowed. "I know I should have told you but I was afraid after you heard what part two was you would think me a monster."

"What is part two," Akira asked her voice dropping to a mere whisper.

"Turn on the television," I said. "It should be on the news by now."

Kat grabbed the remote and turned on the local news and it was being repeated over and over.

'If you are just tuning in catastrophic explosions have rocked the Maximum Security Prisons across the country. Officials are still trying to discover the source for the explosions but the loss of life is in the tens of thousands. Amazingly an automated evacuation cleared the prisons of all guards and other non prisoner personnel prior to the event. As yet no one is taking responsibility for the action and it may come down to a software upgrade in the prison's operating system that caused the failure and explosions. Once again thousands of prisoners are dead this morning due to a series of catastrophic explosions in each and every Maximum Security Prison across the country...'

Click, the television went dead and all eyes turned to me.

"Why Kouryou, why would you do this thing?" Akira asked.

"Two fold, one it removes a huge drain on resources housing people that will never be released. Secondly it sends a message to my enemies that they are next."

"That's why you had those men and women pardoned didn't you, you didn't want to murder innocent people?"

"Murder is such a harsh word," I said but she was right I had murdered thousands but in the long run the ripple effect would resonate in the population and a cancer had been removed.

"Harsh or not," Akira said. "You killed thousands of men and women."

"Murderers and violent animals that had escaped justice, do you think a single one of them regretted what they had done. And those that did died quickly and painlessly."

"You don't need to justify what you did to me; I understand why you did it. But don't lie to yourself and call it what it is not. I also understand why you didn't confide in me, I would have tried to talk you out of this. But you were correct in one thing, it will send a message to your enemies... and they will not underestimate you again."

"Good, cause the next phase makes this one look like a fucking walk in the park," I told her and she lowered her eyes.

"You really mean to start a war, have you thought this through Master," Akira said so softly I almost missed it.

"I mean to end the corruption, stagnation and I have run so many simulations it is sickening. But I cannot stand by and just let things go as they have; that scenario and its outcome are not acceptable. Just go ask Surfer if you don't believe me."

Kat sat in stunned silence and I saw the look on her face and it screamed Monster whenever she looked at me.

"Nick, it's like I don't even know you anymore," Kat said sadly. "Mom wouldn't have wanted this, if this is about her death."

"It isn't this has taken weeks to set in motion and what comes next has been in the planning stage for decades and I am going to exploit a military research facility's crown jewel for my own purposes."

"But why," Kat cried out.

"Because if I don't humanity as you know it won't be around to have a fighting chance Kat. I have run the numbers a hundred million times and if I do nothing the economic down turn we are experiencing is nothing compared to what they have planned."

"Who are they? Why you? I just don't get it..." and the emotional damn burst again and she was sobbing again.

I took her into my arms and just held her while I had Akira get our transportation readied to leave and get back on board the one place I knew we would be safe, the Numenor.

I felt her because 'they' felt their old host as she approached on silent feet. She had meant to feed on me and kill me in the cave but had instead rid herself of her infestation. Perhaps in the long run it would have been kinder to have taken my life.

"Hello Mary," I said not turning to face her.

"Hello Nick," her voice so clear and steady and full of pain but no remorse.

"Have you come to finish off what you started," I asked.

"No, August sent me to offer you asylum here, you don't have to go."

"Oh but I do, they killed Kat's mother and a member of my family. That kind of act demands retribution but for what it is worth before long I will know my enemy better than he knows himself won't I?"

"Yes," she said softly. "You will become the thing you hate and all of my sins will be laid bare before your mind's eye. Try not to judge me too harshly, I meant to kill you that day in the cave."

"I think you misjudge my intent Mary, I am not going to fight this gift you have given me. I have decided to embrace it and make it a part of who I am. By turning a negative into a positive, it is what I do."

"You will fail, you will go mad and in the end you will kill everyone close to you," she said turning to leave.

"You are wrong," I said but she was already gone.

House De Medici:

They were calling it a terrible accident and catastrophic software glitch at least that's what they were telling the public. The effects were amazing as it both brought so many communities together and at the same time crime plummeted over the last six months. Perhaps evil doers were afraid that they too might find themselves in a dire situation for committing unnecessary acts of violence. I didn't know and I didn't care. Kat had chosen to return to her job and I guess I couldn't blame her. After all that I had done I wouldn't want to be anywhere near me either.

Surfer had provided me with the satellite intelligence, Lilith with the bank transfers and we were able to discover not only who the assassin was but who had hired him. Eric Ahriman President and CEO of Ahriman Arms a rival in providing military and law enforcement with weapons and vehicles was the man responsible for the death of Petra Shaw. My father had stopped by long enough to pay his respects but I knew he blamed me for her death, just as he had for his first wife's passing. How strange that the life I lived now looked so very different from the one when I was back at the academy.

There came a soft knock at my office's door and one of the crew stepped in long enough to hand off a folded piece of paper and stayed for my reaction. I unfolded the note and read the short contents.

"Is everything prepared," I asked and she nodded. "Tell them I will be down shortly."

I finished the reports I was working on and with a grim smile I stood and changed my clothes for the work at hand. I resolved myself to do this thing even though ever fiber of my being screamed to finish them quickly and be done with it. I opened the door and made the slow walk down to the bottom deck where my two guests were being held. It had been a long few months knowing who had done this thing but it had taken time to develop a flawless strategy to accomplish what was needed. I could have grabbed the sniper a long time ago but that might have tipped off Eric Ahriman and that wouldn't do. So both men were invited for a visit within minutes of each other and now that they had safely arrived... there would be justice.

The two hooded figures lay on the floor of the deck and I was told who was who by Akira. But she did not plea for their lives she supported me completely in what was to happen.

"Take off the hoods," I ordered and two of the sisterhood stepped up and snatched the cloth covering their heads.

The young man on the right looked so innocent until you looked him in the eyes. They were the eyes of a killer and a war hero and decorated sniper of the highest skill. But sadly he had fallen on hard times after mustering out of the military and had jumped at the million dollar bounty on my life and sadly it included any member of my immediate family.

On the left was the handsome middle aged man who had ordered the hit and would suffer the most. He was looking around and when he saw Akira and there was obvious recognition I shouldn't have been surprised but I was.

"Akira," he asked confused. "You are working with prey now?"

"Eric, you are in no position to be bringing up that given your situation," she replied.

"My situation, I assume this is a hostage negotiation..." he began and then saw the expression on my face and he realized how dire his position really was. "...wait you aren't really going to hurt anyone here today. My father and family will go to war if something happens to me."

"That's the plan Eric," I said. "Since your company went public they have created a fine financial opportunity for me and mine."

"What are you talking about," he said his eyes narrowing.

"I have purchased fifty one percent of your company and plan on dismantling it and selling it for parts." I told him. "I also have a rather extensive list of your family holdings and the same will befall those as well. I plan on crushing your family's ability to make war before I move on them openly. Sadly you won't be around to see it happen."

"They will retaliate, they will make you suffer," Eric was ranting now as the fear crept into his eyes.

"Was it your idea to place a bounty on my head," I asked as I walked over and revealed the tools I had chosen for today's entertainment. "MMMMM ever see the movie Sin City?" I asked holding up the plastic tubing. "This is going to be a long drawn out affair Eric and sadly you will be quite awake and feel every pain I inflict upon you."

The young sniper began to wail at his fate and struggling against his restraints. But there was no mercy in my heart.

"And you young man, for your part in things you get to watch and when Eric here gets hungry you are his last meal," I said.