It's a Dead Man's World Ch. 04

"Whatever they hit her with hit her hard," Dennis said. I can't believe Veronica would do that!" he said for the twentieth time that day. "She knew exactly what Eliza would do . . ."

The door between the driver's compartment and the prisoner's compartment opened, and a familiar looking blonde woman stepped through, and the almost fifty people crammed into the prison transport expressed their outrage.

"Of course I knew exactly what she would do," Veronica said smugly.

"Veronica?!?" Allyson said. "What the fuck are you . . ."

If Allyson had been confused by the blonde Hybrid's presence, she was even more confused by what Veronica did next. She lifted Eliza's head up, and Allyson saw that her friend and team leader was quite awake. Not only was Eliza awake, she was smiling from ear to ear. Then Veronica kissed her, and the entire captive crew was stunned into silence.

"What kept you?" Eliza asked when Veronica reluctantly pulled her lips away from Eliza's.

"Had to wait for the sun to go down. Gives your guys the advantage." Veronica hit a button on the driver's side of the door, and the bar running down the middle of the bus released all the prisoners chains. Veronica handed a set of keys to a still-stunned Allyson. "This is for the cuffs on your wrists. Take yours off and pass 'em down." Then she looked down the length of the bus. "All right everyone, once your hands are free, check under your seats. All the way back and under the seats, you'll find some . . . gifts."

Allyson finally got it. She looked at Eliza, her eyes growing wide. "You bitch! You set ANOTHER trap! Why didn't you . . ."

". . . Tell you?" Eliza finished as Veronica uncuffed her lover and kissed her again. "The fewer people that knew, the less chance someone could blow it. As soon as Veronica said how desperate they must be, I realized that she was right. And what better bait than a chance to wipe out all their enemies while they are unarmed, chained up and in the middle of nowhere, particularly if they are running out of options."

Terillia had reached under her seat and pulled off a couple of rail-gun pistols and a bandoleer containing a number of strange looking grenades. "But we're not unarmed . . ." she started, smiling a very pretty smile.

One of the vampires further back had pulled out a kinetic riot shield and a high-powered rail-gun rifle. "And we're not chained up . . ."

"And that," said Dennis, "is why it's called a trap. Who else . . ."

"Valar knows," Eliza interrupted. "I needed someone on the other bus to help organize things. And I'm hoping that Kertosis hates Valar enough to put in an appearance to make sure he's dead. But Valar has a few nasty surprises up his sleeve, just in case. And Thug and the trolls all know. The Purity won't make the same mistake they did back on the island. They'll go for the trolls first, but they'll be in for ANOTHER surprise."

"Wait," Allyson said. "How did you arrange all this? And what did they shoot you with?" she added, looking at Eliza.

"Telepathy, sweetie," Veronica said. "At least in answer to the first part. We've been in contact since the Purity's message. We had to have the argument to give me an excuse to leave and set things up with Captain Corbin. As for the second part of your question, the only thing in those darts was a harmless saline solution."

"Harmless, my ass! Those little things hit like a mother!" Eliza was rubbing one of the spots where she had been tagged.

"So the Captain's in on this too?" Dennis said. "Good. I've always liked him."

"And we needed the trolls in on it to keep our people in check."

"Goodness!" Terillia said. "The trolls weren't there to keep the . . . Captain . . . from getting in. They were to keep us from going out!"

"Precisely. I REALLY didn't want a fight to break out and ruin the war," Eliza said. "And we made sure that the Border Patrol and Customs let them into the country . . . for a price of course. Didn't want things to look too easy." She grasped Veronica's hand. "Now, we all get what we want . . ."

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Outside the caravan . . .

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Jonathan Coachmen had just received the signal to launch his attack. He gave a thumbs-up signal to his pilots. "This will be a memorable day!" he shouted before firing up his bird. The fifteen heavily armed helicopters rose steadily into the night sky with a thunderous roar. "From darkness they came," he said, "so to darkness they return."

Through his night vision goggles, he saw his comrades on the ground barreling out of dusty side roads and up from the ravines in their all-terrain armored transports. Kertosis was in the most heavily armored of the vehicles. He had proved himself a useful ally, and the Inner Circle wanted to keep him safe. They would hit the convoy all at once, leaving nothing behind but the echoes of the screams of the wicked.

Then he thought he saw something resembling a large bird flitting up in front of the lead gun-ship. But it didn't look like any bird he had ever seen before. "It looks almost . . ." It was then that Jonathan Coachman, Knight of the First Order of the Purity, experienced a moment of clarity. That wasn't a bird, it was a succubus. Actually, there were several succubae flying up towards the choppers with incredible speed and agility. They had come from the bus. He saw one of them juggled a round object in its hand a couple of times. Then the creature threw the object.

"Oh, sh. . ."

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Out in the sky . . .

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Terillia knew she was taking a risk by getting in front of the chopper. She was prepared to make evasive maneuvers, but she wanted this scum to know . . . she wanted him to see who had beaten him. She tossed her EMP grenade up once in the air, activated it and threw it into the helicopter's propeller. There was a blinding flash of light, then the target helicopter's power systems simply turned off. And a helicopter without power didn't fly very well, unless you counted bouncing. Terillia didn't thinking that bouncing should count. Then the remaining choppers let loose with a barrage of automatic weapon fire, but Terillia was long gone, diving towards the planet's surface like a deep-rolling pigeon. Her fellow succubae swooped in from the side and let loose with a number of EMP grenades, and helicopters were dropping like flies. A few of the winged Terrans were hit by stray gunfire and one was sucked into a helicopter's updraft and was shredded to pieces. The war was on.

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On the ground . . .

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"I think we have a problem," said Jerry Snow, Knight of the Second Order of the Purity and leader of one of the three squads of land vehicles involved in the assault. His second in command looked into the sky and saw explosions and gunfire that wasn't directed at the caravan in any way. But he didn't have much time to analyze things as his vehicle approached one of the guard transports. "Prepare to strafe the sides," he ordered of his gunman.

But at that moment, the canvas-covered rear of the vehicle was eject from the back. And there weren't any soldiers in the back . . . just a single, hulking mass.

"That's a troll!" the second in command screamed. "Aren't those supposed to be in the semi in the back?!?"

Jerry Snow's eyes were wide as the creature raised what appeared to be a hand-held cannon and pointed it directly at his vehicle. Just before his transport erupted in flames and exploded, the Knight of the Second Order screamed into his communicator, "It's a trap! It's a . . ."

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On the other end of the cannon . . .

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Lorazok was actually a fairly mellow creature most of the time, even for a troll. He had been working with rescue teams on Earth, helping moved debris from people who had become trapped in explosions or cave ins when more traditional machinery was too bulky or too slow to get to the scene. He had been given the nickname of "Tiny" by the company he had worked for, and the sarcasm hadn't been lost on him. Tiny stood nine-and-a-half feet tall and weighed close to fifteen hundred pounds. Like most trolls, Tiny had held great reverence for the Vampire known as Kelik due to the respect that particular man had always shown to the troll race. So when Thug had informed the troll of their plan and had handed one of these H&K Displacer Cannons that Thug enjoyed so much, Tiny had been imagining a moment just like this one. Tiny was smiling as the front of one of the vehicles moved directly into the troll's sights, and was outright grinning as one shot from the cannon reduced the target to smoldering wreckage.

Tiny strapped the cannon to his back and jumped from the speeding vehicle directly into the front of another enemy transport, which reacting as most vehicles would when it collided with something the size of Tiny. It sent the troll flying, but the transport looked like it had hit a tree and most of the passengers were dead or dying.

The caravan's tires began to squeal as the "prison" transports ground to a halt. Soon, heavily armed vampires came pouring out the sides of the buses and took positions behind the rocks and boulders lining the road. The lumbering gargoyles took to the sky to aid the succubae in the air war. They were much slower than their Terran comrades but were tough as stone. The other trolls, all of whom had been hiding on the guard transports, had all blown their covers and were firing their cannons into the largest conglomerations of the enemy vehicles. Soon, the Purity was abandoning their vehicles to do battle in the broken terrain. They still had the numbers advantage, but they were in a state of panic.

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A little while later . . .

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Kertosis Ithslerorvana may have been insane, but he was no fool. As soon as the Purity vehicles stopped and the firefight was engaged on the ground, he grabbed the Dead Man's World and made a run for it. He thought his "allies" to be fools for continuing the fight even though they realized they had been duped. As badly as he wanted to see Valar die for aiding in his imprisonment, Kertosis wasn't about to challenge the Hybrid known as Eliza. She was an unknown commodity and while deserving of destruction simply due to her heavily diluted bloodline, he would choose his own time and place to finish her.

He noticed a slow moving gargoyle swinging over head, and he was sure he had been spotted. He raised the Dead Man's World over his head and concentrated. He had been allowed to practice controlling the Living Jewel on several Terran or Terran-sympathizer prisoners, and he had learned to impose his will upon the stone. A stream of darkness enveloped the creature and for a moment, even the wielder of the World couldn't see it. Then, the darkness evaporated, but not before it had extinguished the light burning in the gargoyle's soul and sent the thing dropping to the earth . . . dead. He took a moment to sneer at the corpse before moving on.

Unfortunately for Kertosis, he didn't get much further before hearing a dreadful howl behind him. It sounded like a lycanthrope, and it sounded close.

[[ Damn dogs! ]] he muttered. [[ I may have been too quick to spare them back on Terra. I won't make the same mistake again! ]]

After another several minutes had passed, he heard the swooshing of wings nearby. He assumed it was another gargoyle that had come to discern the cause of death for its fallen comrade. But even with his advanced night vision, he couldn't see it. This one was flying lower to the ground. [[ No matter, ]] he told himself. [[ Should it cross me, it will . . . ]]

Kertosis had just come into a clearing when he felt rage boil up inside him. On one boulder sat a gargoyle, and on another sat a lycanthrope . . . probably the one he had heard howling. But standing in the trail opposite him was an old, old enemy.

[[ Valar! ]] he snarled.

[[ I'm glad you remember me, ]] the other vampire said. He was holding both hands behind his back, waiting for Kertosis to make his move. [[ I'm not particularly surprised to see you running away, ]] he added, utilizing his innate power to piss people off. [[ You were always good at that part. ]]

[[ You were always so much braver when you had backup, ]] Kertosis replied.

Valar looked first at the gargoyle and then the lycanthrope, making a motion with his head. [[ Leave us, ]] he ordered, then the two other Terrans vanished.

Kertosis was nervous. Valar was FAR too confident. [[ You think you can take me! ]] he screamed. He needed to make his play before the others came back. [[ This time, I'll destroy you! ]] He pulled the Dead Man's World from his robes and wielded it, concentrating hard.

[[ For a brilliant psychopath, you're quite predictable, ]] Valar returned. From behind his back, he produced two Living Gems. In one hand, he held The Dragon's Breath and in the other, he held The Ocean's Heart. After a moment's concentration, he accessed the power of The Dragon's Breath and created a tiny, tiny bridge to Terra. It was just enough to give him a super charge of mystical energy from his home planet. His eyes glowed red and he concentrated on the air between him and Kertosis, making it thicker. Then he used a telekinetic punch using that air to knock The Dead Man's World from Kertosis's grasp and sent it flying down into a ditch. Then Valar closed his small bridge before his enemy could use it to access his own magical power.

Kertosis found himself unarmed and facing off with a crafty opponent. Without magic, he decided to rush Valar, hoping to take control of that cursed ruby. He only got a few steps before a stream of water erupted from The Ocean's Heart, encasing him completely in a shimmering blue liquid and stopping him in his tracks.

Valar almost looked solemn all of a sudden. [[ Kertosis Ithslerorvana, you were found guilty on Terra of multiple counts of murder. Now, you have committed treason against your people and your world. I determine it to be my duty to enact your punishment now . . . in this place. Kertosis, the power of The Ocean's Heart is one of cleansing. By my will, I hereby cleanse your body of YOUR will and your magical abilities. I assert my will upon the stone, and my will shall be done. ]]

Kertosis screamed at first, but he felt himself . . . relaxing. His anger . . . his fears . . . his worries . . . they all slowly slid from his thoughts like so much water down an open drain. For a moment, he understood what peace was. Then, he understood nothing.

Valar withdrew his will from the Living Jewel. It wasn't quite the same as a mind-wipe, but it was close enough. Kertosis would never harm another creature. [[ You can come back now! ]] he shouted to the gargoyle and lycanthrope, both of whom had been waiting nearby. Once they arrived, the gargoyle landed near the now zombie-like form of Kertosis.

[[ And so justice is done, ]] it said in it's raspy voice.

[[ Justice is done, ]] agreed the lycanthrope.

Valar just stared at his former adversary. He realized that he owed Eliza an apology. There were things in both worlds much more deserving of contempt than someone who preferred the sexual company of their own gender. But at least now, there was one fewer. He directed the gargoyle to retrieve The Dead Man's World from ditch. He understood now why Eliza hated the thing so much. He had seen, for just a moment, the dark heart of The Dead Man's World, and he hadn't liked the look of it at all.

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Back at the battle . . .

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By the time Valar returned, the fight was almost over. The vampires had swarmed out of the buses and, with their vastly superior night-fighting ability, they had run roughshod over their opponents in the broken terrain. The gargoyles had taken to dropping large rocks on the Purity soldiers from the heights, and the remaining succubae led by Terillia were essentially toying with the one remaining attack chopper. The machine had run out of ammo and its navigation systems were fried. Eliza was screaming at them to "stop playing with your food" and finish it. A few well-thrown EMP grenades and the last of the Purity's air power was sent crashing to the ground.

Some of the enemy had tried returning to their vehicles in hopes of making an escape, but the trolls had taken to rolling over anything that moved. Several soldiers surrendered while hanging upside down by their safety belts. One soldier had been trying to sneak up on Eliza, but Veronica had spotted him. She had grabbed him by leg and beat him against a boulder until he stopped twitching. She may not have been looking for a massacre, but no one fucked with her girlfriend.

Eliza was suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg, but she knew she would live. Being an enemy commander, she had drawn a lot of fire. It might have been worse except Thug and Tiny had both shown up to block incoming fire. Tiny was still grumbling as he forced the bullets out of his body. Thug was casually discussing when he had taken on the chopper that one time, just to put things in perspective. Tiny told Thug to shut up.

When the smoke finally settled, the Terrans had captured close to one hundred and fifty people. They estimated that several hundred more lay amongst the rocks. But they had suffered their own losses. About ten vampires, three lycanthropes, three gargoyles and five succubae had lost their lives. These winged Terrans had born the brunt of the attack helicopters' fury, and Eliza realized the debt that was owed them. To no one's surprise, all the trolls had survived, though one of them would probably spend a few weeks or so regenerating an arm and a leg after a disabled helicopter landed on him. Luckily, he had been pulled clear before it exploded.

Eliza saw that Valar had returned with Kertosis draped over the lycanthrope's shoulder.

"Is it done?" she asked.

He nodded. "It's done."

She looked around. "Round up the prisoners!" she shouted. She turned to Veronica. How long until the Captain arrives?"

"Captain Corbin is only about an hour away. He had to keep his distance so no one would suspect anything. Besides, he wanted to let us handle this. The question is, what happens now?" Veronica was staring pointedly at her lover.

Eliza looked at her assembling troops. "Friends and Terrans, victory is ours." She had to wait for the cheers to subside. "But we have a choice to make. When I asked you to come to California, I said it would be for a Blood War. The question is, will we continue the spilling of blood? These men are helpless now. We have taken their power away. As a wise person recently told me," she started, glancing at Veronica, "our ways are NOT the ways of Earth. If humans went to Terran and tried to tell us how to fight our wars, what would we do?"

[[ Laugh at them and tell them to go home! ]] one of the vampires shouted, getting a low chuckle from the crowd.

"You're absolutely right. So do we have the right to wage a Terran-style war on Earth, though it is violation of their ways and their laws!"

Valar stepped forward. [[ I realize as much as any of you how easy it would be spill their life-force on the soil, ]] he said, pushing the empty husk of Kertosis forward. [[ But that would be too easy. I also agreed to a Radotanida, but these creatures are not worth it. ]]

It was Veronica's turn. "I know that none of you owe me anything, but I would like to speak anyway. The way I understand it, a Blood War is done to wipe your enemies out for good. Is this correct?" There was a murmur of agreement. "Well slaughtering these men will not destroy our enemies. Rather, it will ensure their survival. You will be seen as the monsters the Purity believes you to be, and the ranks and resources will be replenished. People will become afraid of you, and that fear will draw them to the enemy. The Purity is crippled and dying. Let them die as befitting them . . . whining and crying in their holes in the ground, with no one left to listen to them."