Far Pangaea 44 : Ground Zero

Traveling weightless felt strange to everyone. The drones responding favorably in getting them across the desert distance. If not at a slower pace than expected. Carrying them at acceptable speeds was necessary. As it warmed up the breeze brought on by the passing air flow felt great. Expanding out further than they ever had before they caught glimpses of possible new salvaging targets. Should they survive the next day or so.

More spaceships scattered about. Smaller ships of different varieties. More tech Jack considered. Possibly a power source that James needed to get their own home aloft someday. Another Cargo ship this one looking to be much newer. Carrying more contemporary cargo. Things they sorely needed to survive. Even an Apache Helicopter rested atop a lonely sand dune on its side. Going so weird as to see a 10 speed bicycle abandoned in the sand. It was amazing how many things had vanished through history and ended up here. How long they had been here was anybody's guess. Yet most appeared in reasonable condition.

Movement to the North drew Jack's attention. A small dust cloud was billowing up. Not big enough to be a sandstorm. Almost as if seeing a singular moving object. Jack's eyes were good but not so good as to see that far out. Leering to his right he calls out, "Greta? Look North. There's a dust cloud. James gave you telescopic lens. I want you to see if you can make out what's stirring up the desert."

Greta Winston trying not to get air sick acknowledges the Colonel and darts her gaze to her left. Covering her brow from the sunlight she pierces the mile plus by willing her fiber suit to amplify her gaze.

"Looks like one of those big lizards. Walkin' on two legs."

"Same kind?" Malcolm calls over his shoulder.

"Don't think so Malcolm. Head looks different. Front legs a might tiny compared to it's back legs. Lots of teeth though."

"Dinosaur." Jack grimaces, "At least its a ways away. Probably just got here recently or it would have starved by now. Not much out here to feed on."

"Let's hope it doesn't get the scent of the cattle." Madigan Ridge points out, her thought making Greta edgy.

"Let's lead it our direction. If it's good and hungry we can give it a main course. Vampire Scooby snacks." Elle suggests.

"Not a bad idea. As long as we're not on the menu." Jack nods, "Do the honors Elle. Create some light and get it's attention."

"Speaking of light." Sophia brings up, "What good is a Dino to eat them when the daylight will turn them to ash?"

"Our luck it's a plant eater." Malcolm huffs.

"Interference either way." Jack offers, "Might as well adopt every advantage we can muster. Closing on 45 miles People. Keep our eyes out for an Oil Tanker."

Gaicazar admired Jacks strategy. He too would have used the beast in any way necessary to even his odds. In his time he had seen many things. Used many people. War was war. Adapting to any recourse would always be on the agenda.

Elle raises her arm and experiments with her healing arm now coated in diamond. Generating a flashing light that was meant to be a beacon. She loved her newfound abilities more and more. As her arm grew annoying the others turned away from her.

Greta however willed her lens to shade her eyes more. Non traditional sunglasses. She wondered what the fuss was with Jack and Malcolm's dark glasses. Now she had an idea.

"I think you did it Elle. That lizard changed course. I think he's tailing us."

"Job done." Elle puckers.

At sixty miles out they begin to see the sands grow darker in hue. Almost as if it had died and was withering. A sure fire sign of oil spillage. A mass amount at that. Jack wondered how flammable the oil was after so many years laying dormant. All he knew right now was that the air was growing pungent. Smell of death in the form of crude oil. Not much could live in this environment. A good reason the Vampire Mother Lilith chose her nest here.

"Velchek up ahead. Big Tanker at least. Has to be it." Jack confirms.

"Glad we can read Russian." Elle growls, "Collars do come in handy."

"Think the ground can be walked on Jack? No footprints anywhere I can see." Mal examines the closer they get.

"As many years as this has been here I'd say the ground is parched. Might have been a tar pit at some point in the past." Jack surmises, "Madigan? Care to set down and check that theory? If you sink you can always go ghost and get out of it easy."

Madigan waves her agreement and orders her drone to lower her down into the oil baked landscape. The first footfalls in a very long time. The dirt caked up under her but easily supported her now returned weight.

"Looks good Jack."

"Okay. Let's go in on foot and do some area recon. Mal? Don't go big until I tell you too. Vamps are probably overly sensitive to vibrations. Our own feet might give us away. You go big and they know for certain."

"Gotcha, Colonel. Might want to tell that to Barney. He probably won't take long getting here."

Jack had forgotten the approaching Jurassic era beast. Yeah. That might be bad. Of course if it were after dark the Dino could be bait. Darkness was hours away though. He would factor that in.

"Elle? Sever the strobe light. Let him continue on this way of his own curiosity. Greta? Keep monitoring it. If it decides to change direction regain its attention. When it gets closer send out two drones with gravity orders to hold Godzilla in check until we need him."

"Might be a her." Greta huffs.

"It! Doesn't matter Kansas." Elle instills.

"Gaicazar? Your immortality is going to be noticed the closer you get. I want you to stay back for now. I'll signal you in when things escalate. Let's hope we can open this tin can wide and let the sun shine in. Let's turn the odds in our favor."

"As you wish my Friend."

Antonaeus didn't like taking orders but he knew Jack was correct. He certainly didn't want to be a long term dinner once again. Even though his armored state might put a crimp in their plan to do so.

"Maddy? Carefully phase in and examine what we're dealing with. Go silent unless you have no choice. Communicate with us outside not inside. Again, unless there's no choice. If you see Verago get out fast. Don't get anywhere near him or he could bring you down. I don't think we've seen his full potential. Let's just hope Sophia's little pals can run interference for us."

"On my way Colonel." Maddy goes ghost and drifts away from her drones captivity.

"Sophia? You need to lay back too. With the Amulet now a part of you it's a safe bet Verago and Lilith can sense you coming. Let's just hope they haven't already."

"My friends are telling me they haven't discovered me yet. I'm digging this communication level over distances." Sophia hovers.

"Malcolm? Let's you and I do a stealth fly by. We know none of the Vamps are going to be outside but let's look to see if we have any booby traps that could jeopardize any of us. Stay aloft. No footfalls that close to the ship until it becomes necessity. Like Maddy we go silent. Hand signals only."

"Right behind you Boss."

Guided by the soaring drones Jack and Malcolm separate to circle the Tanker from bow to stern. Each taking a side. Madigan phasing through the hulls exterior for an inside reconnaissance. All would need to be in silent mode. One tiny misstep could lead to a world of trouble later. Vampires having been alive for centuries would undoubtedly have a few safety measures in place. That and it was still hard to measure what they were up against with Verago. Nobody, even Gaicazar knew what an Angel was truly capable of. Even a fallen one. With a billion microscopic parasites in him under his control and a renewed immortality. No telling what else he might throw at them that they were unaware of.

Jack going solo his in direction to the North notes zero movement. The Tanker seemed in very good condition. No real structural damage other than its lower basin. Where the large rupture that allowed its liquid cargo to form a shadowy ocean around the vessel. The upper deck and all of the communication towers were sturdy looking. Eying more closely at the windows to the Tankers bridge he realizes they were smoked over.

Obviously to secure them from sunlight. The question was, were there guards posted even in the daylight? Surely not. In every War there were day and night watchers. This was probably no different. If there was a guard it was already too late. He was flying directly toward it.

To the stern of the ship Malcolm also encountered a darkened set of windows. A few of these were shattered though. Yet shrouded by billowing blankets. Aging cloth with tiny tatters in it that could conceivably let sunlight through enough to harm a Vamp. Mal considered that particular lookout was likely vacant. Something else caught his eye. Hovering thirty feet toward the center of the deck was a closed in Plexiglas addition. It was clear as day in seeing through.

"Greenhouse? Vamps aren't vegetarians. What the?" Malcolm pondered as he notes movement within. Telling his drone to take him lower he comes in for a better look.

Hiding behind whatever gave him shelter from being seen. Doing his best not to touch the deck or anything else.

Within the greenhouse shuffled about a lone old man with straggly hair. Had to be in his 80's. Yet appeared quite spry. No way was he a Vampire due to embracing the sun. How did this guy manage to survive out here alone? Living right on top of Hell on Earth. He needed to inform Jack.

Madigan stuck to the shadows in her inside travels. So far she had found nothing. Not a single body anywhere. Room after room. Hall after hall. All that was left was the tanks themselves. Should she risk going down into them? Not that they could touch her in this state unless Verago himself could reach out and challenge her ability. She decided to take the risk. Carefully seeping through the steel framing she entered the tank. By far the largest room in the entire ship. Once entirely within the chamber her eyes adjusted to the darkness as her abilities stepped up. Shock after shock. Thousands of slumbering Vampires. No sign of Verago or Lilith herself. Where were they?

Silently Maddy continued throughout the length of the tank until she found a catwalk above them. There she chose to follow its path toward a far doorway. As soon as she reached the door there was a small port window in it. Choosing to glance within before phasing she gets the shock of her life. Almost synchronized as she peers in another face peers out. One with a mission at hand.

"Sabbath?" Maddy realizes without speaking. The alabaster beauty was holding a finger to her lips to remain silent. Then pointing toward the left of her at a large shell of a steel room. Maddy uses her own finger to point at the room then to confirm that she was suggesting she journey there. Could Sabbath be trusted? What if this were a trap?

Fate had it. Madigan Ridge would take the risk. Easing away she slips easily through the wall. Once on the other side she senses the arrival of Sabbath. Even face to face the British stunner reminds Madigan to remain quiet. Her hand motions then directing Maddy to take her hand. It became a game of charades to get the ghost to comprehend what she wanted from her.

Finally, Madigan Ridge reached out and delicately phased her hand into Sabbath's before altering the girls molecular level and making her ghostlike as well.

"Thank you for understanding me." Sabbath speaks telepathically, "We cannot risk being heard. In this state Verago nor Mother can pick up our thoughts. I was afraid you would not come. Yet, I knew that Cameron was family. You had too. I think Cameron is still alive. Within Verago. I saw it in Verago's eyes. Cameron peered out at me in silence. As if trying to communicate."

"You are correct. Cam is trapped inside but Verago is unaware of him being a threat. Why are you nude?"

"Verago attempted to rape me. Mother intervened. That and my sister. We must tread carefully. Can you take me into my sister's prison?"

"Maybe I should fill Jack in first. Before we do."

"There is no time. Should Verago enter Lily's habitat all might be lost. His curiosity grows. Before long not even Mother will be able to keep him at bay. Only his child will prevent him from entering."

"Child?" Maddy looked haunted.

"Yes. Mother and Verago are siring a child. It has already occurred. The offspring grows within her."

"They work fast. Poor Cameron."

"Mother is the first Vampire female. Pregnancy for a Vampire Queen is far different than we as humans. As a human I once was. Once seeded the child will mature within days. Birth will come soon."

"This makes the child not just Verago's. It's also Cameron's? Dear God."

Sabbath could only glare at that inevitability. It hadn't occurred to her the cross pollination of the two. Had Mother realized this possibility? Would it not taint Verago's lineage? No answers easy Sabbath clings to Madigan with a glimmer of worry.

"Please I must see my sister. It has been so very long."

Pleading eyes on a Vampire was a chilling sight. Even for one who had a flicker of a soul within her. That alone keeping a semblance of humanity sacred. How could Madigan tell her no. She just prayed that nothing would go wrong. Jack would have no idea that she might need assistance.

"Show me where to find your sister." Narrow passages beyond the Tanks led downward. It was obvious that some remodeling had been done. The Vampire Hilton had been renovated to mask their Leaders nest. The darkness grew darker.

Outside, Malcolm met up with Jack. Hovering side by side Mal relates his findings.

"Not gonna believe this Colonel. There's a green house toward the back of the Tanker. Some old guy is working in it. No way he's a Vamp."

Jack narrows his eyes, puzzled by the revelation, "This just gets weirder by the day."

"Do we dare approach the guy? I mean how the heck does he survive with all these Vamps not bleeding him dry?"

"Another immortal maybe? But, one that for some reason they leave alone?"

Mal shrugs, "We can always have Maddy approach him as a spook."

"She hasn't come back yet." He grits his teeth behind pressed lips, "I hope she's up to it. Go get Greta. We can have her slip in invisible. Her suit masks sound level and scent. Maybe she can learn something."

"Only if the old codger is babbling." Mal points out.

"True. Got any better ideas without alerting Verago and Big Momma?"

"Nope. I'll go get her and show her in." Mal salutes then glides away. The drone guiding him back to Sophia and Greta.

"Warn her to not engage communication. We have to keep this as quiet as possible."

"Gotcha."

Less than ten minutes later Greta Winston joined Malcolm in his recon. Determining her best entry and exit strategy. Scared but feeling a purpose to the group excited her. For awhile now Greta had fallen on depression after gaining her powers. Now with the life fiber suit helping her maintain those abilities she felt ready. Who knew a cowgirl from Kansas 1873 could live this kind of life?

Invisible she gets dropped off on the deck lightly by the drone. Her suit absorbing the sound and vibration of her footsteps. Unless the Vamps were on a near non existent frequency level she should go unnoticed. Still, with each step taken she tiptoed and gnashed her teeth prepared for an unexpected creaking noise. She was still learning her capabilities as it was. Reaching the Plexiglas of the large Greenhouse she peers in. The old man had his back turned to her. She heard him talking to his plants. Some strange language. Her translator collar deciphering bits and pieces of an almost unknown dialect. The collar came in handy.

"Praising his plants. Huh! Robes look old. Heck, he looks old. Kinda like out of the Bible. How in tarnation has he survived right on top of this nest of nasties?" Greta considers.

As she skulks around for a better vantage point she spots him turn in step as if looking for something. It was then she realized the man had no eyes. He was blind. Awe made Greta question what he was doing? Could he hear her? Surely not. Smell her? Not if the suit was doing its job. So how?

She watches him shuffle toward the door stopping short of stepping over the threshold. As if stepping out for fresh air. Not in this oil drenched environment. The stink was like Hell. Still, she wanted a better look at his face so chose to make a bold move. Walking carefully to the edge of the Greenhouse she peers around the corner. In doing so the man with a long white mane and equally outstretched beard mumbles.

"You are new." She hears him say.

Freezing in step she swallows dryly. Hoping he hadn't sensed her. Unfortunately not the case. He leers toward her as if seeing her face to face. A smile appears with gnarly teeth. What few he had left.

"It is quite alright. I mean you no harm. Step up Child."

Greta wanted to pee her pants. Uneasy her first thought was to get the heck out of there. Her second was to stay and learn so she could report back to Jack. Yet, she was ordered not to engage.

"Fear not. I am but an elder with purpose. It is good to feel the presence of another not deceased. Has God sent you to help me escape this tortured land?"

Greta broke a promise. Deciding to step closer and face the man. His hands lifting and trembling violently. Searching. Grinning with the possibility of someone to talk to.

"Who are you?" Greta whispers.

"Ah! There you are. Good day. I know it is the day, the sun tells me so. If not I would never have ventured out. Who am I? I am Seth. Who might you be?"

"Howdy Seth. I'm Greta. How did you survive living here? Such a bad place."

"Only if you go out at night. I am smarter than that." He laughs showing his age.

"How long have you been here?"

He ponders the notion caressing his lengthy beard, "I fear I have lost time. I am uncertain. Forgive an old man."

"Of course. You wear clothing that looks really, really old. Where are you from?"

He shudders then raises his palms upward to his sides. Twisting carefully in step he winces, "Why here of course. Where my parents gave birth to me. Only I live here now."

"In this tiny little garden?"

"It was much larger. Much, much larger. Only the soil of Eden I'm afraid."

"What? Eden? As in Garden of Eden?"

"Eden's garden. Yes. This Ark you stand upon has smothered the Garden's. I managed to save my friends here and kept them alive. The dark ones fear the dirt. The vile ooze that fell upon Eden has ruined the Garden below. The Mother has chosen to live among the tainted land. My home is pure. They cannot enter. God gives me all I need."

"What happened to your eyes?"

"I could not bear witness to the outside world. I plucked them out. All that was no longer is. Save for here."

"So you're saying you live in Eden? This here see through shelter." Greta found it hard to believe.

"Oh yes. Where my Mother and Father were born. Where all of my brothers and sisters were conceived."

"Where are they?"

"All gone. God sent them away. Only I remain."

"Why just you?"

"Chosen I suppose. God asked me to."

"God asked you to stay here in Eden?"

"He did indeed."

"You spoke to God one on one?"

"He has a grand sense of humor." Seth muses.

"Seth in the Bible was the third born son of Adam and Eve. Are you him?"

"I am. Cain was the first. Abel the second. I had hundreds of brothers and sisters. Many of whom reside here with me."

"I thought you said you lived alone."

"Live yes. My brothers and sisters are here in soul. It is they that nurture my plants. We are Eden. The ground upon which we were born. Of which we die. I am but the Caretaker."

Greta tries to peer behind him at the plant life. Some of the plants were larger than others. Some beautiful flowers. Others bearing fruit. Others vegetables. For a moment it almost appeared as if they were moving. The image gave her the willy's.