Red Serpent: The Falsifier (13 page)

Someone from the throng of people yelled out in pain. A masked man jumped in with a plasma handgun, running and pushing his way through the crowd. He quickly aimed at John and fired. The General instinctively ducked and the bullet missed him by a few inches and blew a hole in the wall behind him. Immediately, the people disarmed the man and attacked him. They unmasked him. “Behold!” yelled John. “The man who attempted to assassinate Jarad. Hassan Hameed, his own son! Guards take him away.” Three more guards ran to arrest Hassan but the crowd didn’t allow it and started beating the man senselessly. John ordered them to stop but they continued to vent their suppressed anger and confusion on the assassin. John yelled out, “Citizens, there is no need to make him suffer! He has been through enough, like you all! Let the guards take him and let true justice take its course.” Finally the crowd obeyed him. The guards took Hassan and arrested him, escorting him outside to join the Council Members and Lylock.

“So now you know,” John said to the Senators. “I have not lied. I give you one hour to decide the fate of the Regnum. I assure you I don’t say this out of arrogance. You have no choice but to realize what I am saying is true and that what I am going to do for everyone will ensure our survival against the vampires and our return to Earth.” Total silence ensued and John walked out with Richard. The crowd followed him to his limo. The car drove off to the Howe Estate, leaving behind the people who were filled with rage, pride, courage and a new energy to fight.

Now, John knew, it was all up to the Senate to vote and decide.

It had been a long time since Alex had last seen the Earth. He sighed, anxious and nostalgic. He thought of the people back in the Regnum. He thought of Angel and the baby once again and basked in the light of the truth that he was to be a father. A shaky and cold chill crept up his spine when he remembered the encounter with Anaxagoras. In his heart, he knew it was to be the first of many.

The ship slowed down as it left the titanic stratocumuli and approached CCC 1, ready to land in the main hangar. An air-transporter awaited their return and Alex, still bound by the wrists, felt afraid and alone. This hangar represented the potential for war, filled with thousands of battle planes, space fighters, tanks and cruisers. Vampire personnel moved about busily as Nikolas held Alex by his right arm and they walked inside the air-transport. The transport was like a bus from the Regnum but older and less comfortable. There were rows of seats all along the length of the transport and poles to hold on to for those that stood. Nikolas stood near Alex, with his hand on his left shoulder, reassuring him everything would be fine.

Awaiting Nikolas, Alex and the rest of the Rebels and soldiers, were Daniel and Erik. Nikolas kept Alex by his side as they walked out of the transport on the outdoor platform of CCC 1. He whispered into Alex’s ear, “Don’t say anything unless spoken to and don’t say anything unnecessary; keep your answers short and curt.” Alex nodded.

“Father!” Daniel walked towards them. He gave a small smile, almost unnoticeable and shook Nick’s hand. “So,” he scrutinized Alex, “this is him, is it?” Alex looked back at Daniel without any malice.

“Yes,” Nikolas said, “This is the Falsifier.”

Daniel extended his hand. “Welcome.”

Alex shook his hand with a firm grip. Erik sighed, flippantly blowing out a large puff of smoke from his cigarette. Nikolas knew he would be rough towards Alex, but only because Daniel had acted so formally. “Can we get this over with and get the guy inside?” Erik said.

“If you are in such a hurry, why don’t you kill him yourself?” asked Daniel. “Oh wait!” he said, “You’re not in charge, are you?”

Alex, amused by the two vampires, hid his smile, afraid to trigger any conflict. As they bickered, he scanned the area around him to get a better look. From the platform, he noticed the raging blue sea reflecting the light of the sun. A violent wind blew in their faces and hair. He breathed in, thankful to savor the breeze and oxygen of the Earth. It felt good and he smiled, closing his eyes. The sea was something he had never seen and it seemed to him like a mythical entity. No wonder the first travelers were so mystified by it and told stories about its majesty.

Daniel broke Alex’s reflection, “By the way, don’t be fooled by all of this, please. Erik is always upset about something or other. Come.” He walked past Erik, their shoulders brushing. “I’ll show you to your room.”

*****

John was surprised by his own behavior in the Senate. What had made him speak and act like that? It was pure luck; at least half of it was. There was a lot of calculation on his part, but that too was based on chance. He had had the feeling that Hassan had been behind the assassination attempt, ever since he had been in the elevator with Richard. The thought had struck him, when the previous coups were mentioned. He thought that perhaps there was someone outside the political system helping out Jarad, and he figured it would have to be Hassan as he was trained in the Army and was a Lieutenant. There was no crime as such in Regnum as there was a very strict weapons control. The only access to guns would have to have been provided to someone from the army and that’s how he made the connection. The entire idea of a coup wasn’t planned in detail but John always thought of eradicating the disloyal Councilors. Lylock was a nobody. John thought of him as an informer, a man looking for power just like everyone else. The main reason John hated him was because of the Vatican Mission. It cost many lives in the end and was one of the most, if not the most, major turning points of the entire war.

John was in his study while Richard kept Mrs. Howe company in the living room over a cup of tea. He took another gander at both the scroll and the canister. There was something Nick was trying to say by all this, but what was it? In the old days, Nick, Aidan, John, Jarad, and a few others invented their own secret language and became fluent in it. It was a sort of club of a chosen few who knew the secret code. It was a great way to give away vampiric secrets and the like. But there was no distinguishable sign or code, except for the emblem. As his eyes hovered over the cross, he saw it shining in the light. He circled it with his index finger.

Nothing happened for a few moments until finally a small crack appeared on the cross. Out of the crack a white light shone in his face like a flashlight and vertically projected an image. It was a video hologram of Nikolas. “John, my dear friend,” he said, “it has been a long time. I am sure you must have read my letter. As you can see, this video is actually from a long time ago. It was filmed during the mission at Washington. Remember?” he smiled warmly. That really was a long time ago. It took place about ten years prior to the Last Battle. It was a mission in which they were fighting for the West Coast of North America. After three weeks of fighting in California, they had won the battle and continued up towards Washington, working their way through British Columbia. From there, another group had gone further north and reached Alaska. Finally three legions were sent into Russia to attack the vampiric front from the East.

“I know you may be wondering how I was able to foresee this,” Nikolas continued. “It may be that I have some of the same gifts as Aidan, yet still less developed. What I do know is that Alexander, your nephew, will be the Falsifier. I knew this because Aidan told me a hundred years before this battle. Whatever else is to happen, will happen according to the Ardemic Prophecies. The time for your own initiation will be close, once Alex is initiated. Sorry to be so vague, but if information gets into the wrong hands it may be advantageous to Anaxagoras.

“This message is just to let you know that your initiation is at hand. When we meet again, the first thing we will do is the initiation. Then, you will learn the secrets of the Knighthood and vampiric history. That is all I wanted to tell you. I suppose it will fire up your anticipation.” Nikolas smiled and bowed and the hologram shut down. The light faded and dissolved into the crack in the cross.

This was special for John. Once they had been together at a secret camp in the Himalaya Mountains, thirty kilometers north of Uttarkashi, in the Uttarkhand state of India. They had been getting ready for the next day’s attack and were trying to push the vampiric bases up north to the frigid regions, like the source of the Ganges River, Gomukh. Aidan had told John many things that night. The prophet Aidan had been very popular amongst the Rebels, not only for his bravery and candid remarks against the king, but also for his good nature. Whenever they camped out he would regale the group with stories and myths. That particular night John had spoken to Aidan:

“Well, it’s been a hard day,” John said.

“Yes.” Aidan offered John a hot cup of coffee as they sat near the fire, “Here, take this. I can feel your chill. Don’t worry.”

John hadn’t known whether he meant the real cold or the fear that was in him. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I mean.” Aidan said, “Tell me how you’re feeling. I know something’s troubling you. Do you want me to teach you how to hide your mind?”

“Is it possible for a human?” John asked, sipping and savoring the hot coffee.

Aidan chuckled, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re human, vampire, or whatever it is. It all has to do with this,” he had pointed to his head; “this,” to his heart, “and that,” he had pointed to the sky, signifying the universe.

“It’s really that simple?”

Nikolas, Varenkoff, Richard, and Liam had joined them, all holding their cups of coffee. Nick said, “What’s all this talk, Aidan? Trying to teach John something spiritual, huh?”

Aidan laughed, “No. I think it might be time, that’s all.”

Nick and the other two Rebels were shocked by this, “What!”

Liam added, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Are you really sure about this?” Varenkoff asked. “It could be dangerous.”

John’s nerves tensed. “What exactly are you talking about?”

Aidan said, “Well, I’m sure you know about the Knights of the Elders. You’re still writing the book?”

“Of course.” John said.

“What book is this?” Nikolas asked.

“It’s just a history of the Vampiric Race. Aidan suggested that I start it.”

“So, what have you written so far?” Aidan asked.

“Just about the Ardemic Prophecies. I was making some detailed commentaries.”

“Well, that would help.” Aidan turned to the other four. “Looks like everyone’s waiting for a story,” he smiled, “So let me start.” He paused for dramatic effect, then began, “Long ago, before the reign of Argos, before the Markian Empire, even before the Republic that lasted for hundreds of thousands of years before that, the very first society was nomadic. There were many tribes on Migra, about a hundred and forty four thousand.”

“Interesting; this sounds like something from the Bible,” said John.

“Yes, I know. It was the same on Earth, I guess, but the first incidence was on Migra. Now, during this time there was war amongst the divided tribes. The warring factions had divided from the original twelve tribes. That was trillions of years before. At that time, according to legend, a group of twelve beings came to Migra and created us. Like you, we are humanoids. They created our DNA and what we once were. Three and a half trillion years later, the Twelve Tribes went to war with their creators. This is all recorded in the Stones of Revelation.”

“The what?” John asked.

“The Stones of Revelation. They were recorded in a very archaic language, possibly in the language of the Twelve Beings.”

“Have you seen these Stones?”

“A long time ago, yes. When I was once in my father’s study room, I saw them. They were recorded on a hundred and forty four stone tablets. They contained the Legends of the Twelve, the Creation Process, the wisdom and knowledge of the Twelve, their secrets, and of course the War that occurred. After that, the Twelve Tribes were ruled by twelve leaders.”

John was amazed by how much Aidan’s story and the Biblical stories of the Twelve Tribes and the Judges had in common. He wondered if Aidan was just borrowing stories from the Bible.

Aidan laughed, “I told you, old friend, you need to learn to veil your mind. Don’t worry about the reliability of my story. It’s true. Ask any other vampire, and they will tell you the same. Should I continue?”

“Sure,” John said. “This is definitely going to spice things up for my book.”

“John, you don’t need to add this in your book. The second part of my story that I’m going to tell you, is what you need to know, not anyone else who will read your book.”

“But the book’s going to be a secret, Aidan; you told me that.”

“For now. But there’ll be a time when people will need to know about it.”

“What?”

Aidan shook his head. “No more of this talk; let me tell you what you need to know now.” John remained quiet. “You have been with us since the beginning. We were against Anaxagoras for many millennia. You joined us only recently. But, you have proved loyal to our cause, all of you,” he said, referring to the human race, “and of course you are fighting for your own reasons as well. That’s why we want you, especially you, John, to be initiated into the Knights of the Elders.”