Regenesis (Book 1): Impact (74 page)

Cladis
stood, or tried his best to do so, as his limbs, ribs, spine, skull, and nearly
every other bone in his body was broken. He managed to keep an iron grip on
Mithra and James while the two girls retreated from the monster. Mizuno’s eyes
flashed, but he failed to glean anything from the fiend. Cladis’ bones
protruded through his skin, as did parts of his muscles and organs. He bled
profusely, his body was contorted into a hideous form, yet while he remained
where he stood, his body repaired itself and his hold on the two men grew
tighter.

Mizuno
rushed forward with two weapons in his hands and shot off all of his remaining
rounds at the regenerating foe. He landed thirty-one bullets straight into
Cladis’ skull and heart, but the man refused to fall. Cladis only continued to
reconstruct his body as each of the metal slugs were purged from his system.

“Damn
it,” Mizuno swore under his breath. He discarded the weapons and regretfully
told Afifa and Melanie that they needed to leave.  “from here,>” he told her in Arabic. She failed to listen though, so he
sprinted toward her, swept her up in his arms, and ran toward the edge of the
building, as Cladis blocked the only other exit.

Mizuno
made it to the edge and heard Melanie scream as Cladis killed James and Mithra
right in front of her. Mizuno glanced back and watched as Cladis lunged at
Melanie and tore her head clean off her torso. Mizuno swore again and dove off
the building with Afifa in his arms, though Cladis continued to pursue them
over the edge. The monster nearly caught the pair, but a bright ray of light
erupted from where the two escapees were over Baltimore and they vanished
before the monster could reach them.

---*---

9:50
PM

Seattle,
Washington

Rachel
continued to lead the way and hadn’t stopped since she and Vladimir uncovered
the second part of her ability. She was even rather excited to explore the city
with her newfound power, which was the direct reason her complaining ceased,
which was a relief to Vladimir. However Rachel’s only basic understanding gave
her slight unrest, since she couldn’t completely tell what an evil spirit would
feel like or what it would appear as.

“Where
are we now?” she asked Vladimir.

“Pioneer
Square,” he told her, “Do you see anything?”

“No,
I’m sorry.”

“It
is not your fault, so please do not worry about it. Let us press onward though.”

The
pair walked down a cobblestone path while Rachel scanned the crowds and saw the
worth of their souls. The further they walked the darker things became, so much
so that she began to worry about the foreshadowed event altogether.

“Are
you sure we shouldn’t wait for Pyotr to help us?”

Vladimir
glanced at her, saw her trepidation, and reassured her that everything was
under control. “Cipriana may be immortal, but she is not empowered by any
means.”

“So
if we find her there won’t be a fight?”

He
shook his head and said there would be someone there to protect her. “She is
not that foolish. However, the incident will be minimal in comparison to some
of the other quarrels I have had the misfortune of partaking of.”

“What
do you mean by that?”

“Although
Pyotr and I have the primary task of vanquishing Constantine and his followers,
I have been known to seek out and destroy other forms of evil whenever they
present themselves.”

“Like
what?”

“Other
vampires would be a suitable example.” He told her his duty was hardly as
simple as what they would soon face. “Normally Pyotr and I face opposition
that, should we fail, would shake the foundations of this earth.”

“Have
you ever failed?”

He
shook his head, “Aside from our folly with Constantine, no. Pyotr is an angel,
might I remind you, and as such it is impossible for him to lose, or so I
choose to believe.”

Rachel
continued to listen to him, but stopped when she saw a massive collective
darkened aura around an entire city block. “What is that?” she asked him while
she pointed at the building.

Vladimir
looked and told her it was a nightclub. “Do you think this is the place?”

Rachel
shut her eyes, calmed herself, and when she reopened her eyes, her vision
returned to normal. “If she’s anywhere, I would say she’s there.” She looked at
him and asked how they would get in.

“Normally
Pyotr and I would walk in, find her, and kill her, no matter how many people
were present,” he told her. “However you are hardly fit for combat of any sort
and as I am uncertain as to what sort of contingency Cipriana has planned, I
also feel it is wise to take matters slowly and with tact.” He looked at her
vacant expression and simply told her he also needed her to point out which one
of all of the individuals was actually her.

Vladimir
looked about the building in an attempt to find a viable entrance. He focused
momentarily, shut his eyes, and felt out how many people were in the building
based off of his ability to sense blood. It was far from an easy feat though,
as many of the individuals within the complex polluted their systems with drugs
and liquors, which concealed those who were not completely intoxicated within
the masses at the club.

He
managed to find a small opening on the roof and determined that it would be the
best way into the building. “Rachel, am I correct in recalling that you possess
a regenerative quality?”

“What?”

“Can
you heal yourself if you are wounded?”

“Yeah,
why do you ask?”

He
said it was not important. “I simply want to ensure that you won’t die if you
are critically wounded if there is heavy opposition here.”

She
paled a bit and asked what his plan was.

“Basically
we are going to infiltrate the building via the rooftop access point that will
allow us to descend into the club through a stairwell which should also grant
us a moment to search out Cipriana before she is apprised or aware of us,”
Vladimir told her. “The reason I asked about your regenerative skill is in case
her back up is somehow more than what I am readily able to handle. In that
event any damages you would incur would mean little and not hinder me too much
more than killing whomever assaulted you, all while allowing me to continue to
watch for Cipriana without letting her slip away.”

“Then
I’m bait?”

“Hardly,”
he scoffed. “You are supposed to find our target, which I am relying on. So,
until you locate her, I will devote myself to ensuring no one harms you.”

“Thanks,”
she muttered.

He
asked if she was ready and swept her up in a colony of bats which quickly
landed on the rooftop. Vladimir led the way, asked her to ready herself with
her ability, which she did, while he slowly opened the door.

No
one lingered in the stairwell, but a raucous noise bombarded them along with a
wave of heat and the odor of alcohol and sweat. Vladimir slipped inside, Rachel
followed, and as they made their way into the party Rachel noticed a shade that
made her sick. The aura she witnessed was in a color and shade Rachel never saw
before and the sight of it caused her bowels to twist within her.

She
stopped him and took a moment to compose herself. Rachel did away with her
visionary ability and told him Cipriana was most likely at a table in the club
on the main floor. Vladimir nodded and crept along in search of the individual
Rachel described. The club was filled and Vladimir imagined that he could blend
into the crowd to cover his approach toward Cipriana. He was concerned with the
smokescreen, the sparse lighting, the odor, and the strobe lights, all of which
he felt hindered his progress.

He
studied the group Rachel pointed out and tried to sort out who Cipriana was. A
young Korean woman caught his eye and after a minute Vladimir felt comfortable
enough to assume she was his target, based on what gestures he remembered of
Cipriana’s from centuries earlier. Vladimir paused for a moment to contemplate
what he needed to do with Rachel, as he felt bringing her to the fight would
create more risk than reward, yet he did not feel safe leaving her alone on the
roof. He weighed the options and decided to have her return to the roof and
wait for him there. “I will find you once this is over, but until then, please
stay out of the building and should anyone access the roof, hide,” he shouted
to her through the boisterous music.

She
did as he asked and as soon as she was out of sight he hurried down the
staircase and into the body of the party in search of the woman. He believed he
was well hidden until someone struck him in the back and five large men
restrained him.

Vladimir
cursed under his breath and heard the music in the room die right as he lashed
out, broke free, and engaged the five men in quick combat which resulted in
each person’s death. Half a dozen others followed suit, but Vladimir soon
realized that he was not only outnumbered, but Cipriana knew he had found her
and fled. He engaged two more of the aggressors before he surmised that the
entire club would combat him if he continued to waste time fighting and not
flee. In a moment he transformed into a colony of bats and made an escape back
to the rooftop.

He
reemerged as a man at the final steps up to the roof, burst through the door,
and found Cipriana with a handful of bodyguards who already subdued and capture
Rachel.

The
young Korean woman looked at Vladimir and commented at how lively he looked.
“It must be such a blessing to never have to worry about how you look, or
aging, or even dying,” she began.

Vladimir
let out a strained breath and told her to release Rachel. “Your time is up
Cipriana and you–”

“I’m
not sure who she is,” Cipriana interrupted, “But apparently she’s with you and
that means she’s leverage.”

“She
can hardly be considered as such,” Vladimir told her shortly. “For starters I
am only with her because Pyotr has justified adding her to our small band of
heroes. And besides,” he smirked, “She can regenerate, so nothing you do to her
would matter.”

Cipriana
retrieved a small bronze dagger from her purse, tossed it to one of the men who
restrained Rachel, and told him to slit her throat. He did as she commanded,
Rachel screamed, bled out, died, and revived intact. The Korean woman smiled
and told Vladimir she could continue torturing her forever. “Your friend might
not die, but she still feels pain and with enough force I’d imagine even her
regenerative properties wouldn’t spare her from madness.”

Vladimir
let out a breath and told Cipriana that she misunderstood their entire
situation. “This is not a time for bartering. Rachel may need to endure some
level of pain while I slay you, but everything boils down to your end.”

Cipriana
reminded Vladimir that she could always reincarnate herself and vanish forever.
“But next time I’ll be the one to hunt you down and I’ll plunge a wooden stake
through your heart.”

Vladimir
frowned and asked where his old friend had gone. “You were once a beautiful
young woman who I was honored to know. I only wish you were still that same–”

“Save
your nostalgia Vladimir,” she spat. “You betrayed us too, if I recall.”

“And
that was a mistake,” he muttered, “One I would never repeat.”

“How
noble,” Cipriana sneered. “But after Daniel died and we all wanted to find
Constantine, some for reasons other than revenge I’ll admit, you were the first
to turn on our friends.”

“That
is enough!” Vladimir barked. “I will not have my sins recalled by the very
cretin I have come to slay.”

Cipriana
smiled, “That’s fine, but you will not rescue the girl.”

The
door to the stairwell burst open and dozens of the partygoers poured out and
seized Vladimir. He fought as best as he could but was unable to resist the
forces that pulled him back into the nightclub.

Yet
just as Vladimir lost sight of Rachel and Cipriana, a ray of light pierced the
night sky and Pyotr swiftly landed on the rooftop next to Rachel. He told her
to worry no more and proceeded to snap his fingers. All of Cipriana’s henchmen
and the people who held Vladimir vanished in an instant. Cipriana’s bronze
dagger fell and Pyotr caught it in his left hand, crushed it into splinters,
and wiped his hands clean afterwards.

Pyotr
gave Rachel a reassuring smile and asked if she was alright.

Rachel
nodded and asked, “What happened to all of them?”

He
chuckled and told her he separated all of the elements and subatomic particles
that constructed each person and scattered the matter into the vastness of the
universe. “Now,” he turned to face Cipriana, “Where is Constantine? You are one
of the few who has contact with him and as such I require whatever information
you have on him.”

“I’m
not saying a thing,” she spat while she backed toward the edge of the building.
“You won’t find him.”

Pyotr
folded his arms across his chest and told her it was over. “You cannot escape
me Cipriana. You know this.”