THE PRINCE OF HOUSE VLADD
BOOK 2
CHAPTER 9
BY ARTHUR
CONTACT: artcart65@vodafone.co.nz
Once the greetings had been done away with, Peter, Swiftwing and Levi began searching for their guards, finally they found them cuffed in a small room, none of them had been harmed and looked at their boss with a little relief on their faces as the four walked into the room.
"You guys ok?" Peter asked.
"Yes Sir, we're fine, I don't know how they caught us off guard like that, we were just sitting down and the next thing we knew, we were in here, they knocked us out with something, we never even smelt anything."
"It's ok, they got us the same way but underestimated our recovery abilities, the rest of the folk are up top now cleaning up, let's get out of here and join them."
"Yes Sir."
The guards stretched cramped limbs and followed their Prince towards the upper floor; they could hear the final sounds of the battle die away as they neared the upper passages, at last the small group of captives turned a corner and saw Sin Yu and his folk looking down on the last survivor, Peter was disappointed when he saw it was not Director Simmons.
Caleb was quick to return with Jeffery slumped over his shoulder unconscious, for Caleb it was effortless and easier to take the human this way rather than ask him to keep up with them, as Torson grunted while he extracted the annoying bullets from his body, he told Peter they had a safe house no more than 30 miles away where they could all stay and recoup their strength.
Agreeing with Torson, Peter told his folk to move out as quickly as possible, he had a feeling that the escape of Simmons gave them little time to make their departure and he didn't want to be caught again, He knew that if there was a next time, none of them would be given the chance to make an escape.
Peter detailed his human security guards to find a vehicle and follow them, without it they would never be able to keep up and there was little time left before the sun rose again when, more than half his folk would have to be hidden from its rays, Peter, followed by the others, stayed close behind Torson as he went into a fast paced run to the east, the sound of two cars close behind.
The first rays were just beginning to make themselves known over the horizon as the fast moving group came to an old dilapidated farm house set back in a thick grove of trees, quickly, Torson lead the Vampires to the old root cellar, there he had had a number of his Vaga set out camp beds for those that would be asleep during the day, in another corner he had a table set with food for the security guards.
Jeffery was placed on a bed, his head was throbbing and he felt stiff and sore where his hands were still tied behind his back, the last guard from the complex was also there and was quickly tied to a single chair where Peter could question him although, there was no need, Peter had already cleaned the mans mind of anything he could use.
Peter looked at the folk who had risked everything to release him, while they were already mostly healed, Peter saw that Torson was showing the signs of needing to feed, Torson saw Peter watching him but soon smiled as Peter indicated he had no further use for the single captive, Torson was to weak to say no and went about his task quickly and efficiently, the tangy smell of fresh blood soon filled the dank cellar as Torson replenished his body, Jeffery could only stare in horror at his first sight of a Vampire feeding, he shook with fear as he realised he might be next.
Peter was quick to pick up on Jeffery's fears and was almost tempted to let the young scientist suffer for a while but his common sense soon kicked in and he told Jeffery that he was in no danger and that Peter had a job for him if he wanted it, Jeffery was still shocked by the sight he had just seen and at first, did not fully hear what Peter was saying, it took a little time for the fact to sink in that he was being given a chance that any scientist would die for, he suddenly realised what he was thinking and wished he had not used the word, `Die'.
The cars had been hidden in the old barn and covered with musty hay from the floor and loft, it was Caleb who first heard the deep thrum of helicopters as they flew high above them on their way to the complex in the first light of day, it appeared that the escaped Director had wasted little time in returning to the sight of the battle, Peter watched from the depths of a deep shadow cast by a large oak tree near the side of the house.
He counted eight large troop carrying helicopters high above, they had got out of there just in time, had they left it any longer they would have been caught out in the open and another battle would have been fought and this time they would not have had the benefit of surprise on their side.
Director Simmons was fuming as he set about organising the troops for an all out search around the complex, the loss of his test subjects was only overshadowed by the loss of so many men that would take some explaining as well as the equipment that had been totally destroyed, for all his planning and hard work he was left with not even a computer entry, his plans for the eradication of the were folk and Vampires had come unstuck in a big way.
Simmons counted himself lucky to have escaped without injury, had he not been in his office prior to returning to question the Vampires when the attack outside began, he would have not been able to access his private escape elevator and get to his own helicopter while the battle raged on below, now all he had to show for his plans was a pile of dead bodies and a destroyed complex, how the Vampires had escaped his carefully constructed lab still eluded him, everything he had done had been planned to the inth degree, it still confused him how they had done it.
After a long search there was still no sign of the prisoners or the help they had from outside, the only clue he had was that two vehicles were missing from the garage, he sent all eight helicopters out on a grid search for the lost vehicles, there had to be some sign of them and, if he found the cars he would find his prey, they couldn't get far without vehicles.
Two hours later and Director Simmons was still frustrated, the helicopters had searched every nook and cranny for twenty miles in every direction and had seen no sign of the escapees, he sent out a message to extend the search area, he doubted they could have made it so far in such a short time but he had to try, he couldn't allow his plans for his future to die so quickly.
Peter was awakened by the sound of a Helicopter moving slowly above the farm house in an obvious search pattern, it was mid morning and he could do little with most of his folk still in their day sleep, the few wolves were curled up on the floor snoring quietly, only the human scientist Jeffery was awake although he looked as though he was trying to avoid going to sleep with so many Vampires so close to him, Peter smiled and softly told Jeffery to get some sleep, he was in no danger from the folk, at this Jeffery finally let his eyes close, he quickly drifted off to sleep, the events of the night were too much for his system.
Peter sat and listened carefully as the helicopter went back and forth searching for them, he had little concern, they had hidden everything well and left no sign they had even passed this way, it took another half an hour before the beat of the rotors grew fainter as the helicopter went off in another direction.
It was a strange tingling in Jeffery's skin that made him force his eyes open, what he saw brought him to instant alertness, the fog of sleep fell from his head as he watched the very air in the center of the dank cellar begin to shimmer and glow, he was sure he could feel the very air around him being charged with electricity as the glow got stronger.
Jeffery's eyes got wider and wider as he saw the shimmering glow start to solidify into the form of two young teen boys, one was dark and the other fair, they were practically naked and only dressed in the minimum of clothes and ornaments, all of which he was sure were solid gold, on the arm of each boy was the weirdest tattoo he had ever seen but it was the gold ornaments that really caught his eye.
Around the ankles of both boys were thick bands with gold bells attached, on their upper arms were more gold bands as well as a single thick band around their foreheads, apart from a very skimpy piece of gold cloth hanging in front and at the rear to cover their groin and butt, the two boys were naked but their very skin glowed with the power around them.
Jeffery could only stare in silence as the boys forms solidified until they were standing in the room, with not much more than a quick glance at Jeffery, the two boys ran to Peter and Swiftwing and wrapped their arms around the two Vampires, he listened as the young dark haired Vampire leader talked to the two strange boys.
"And what are you two doing here?"
"We lost you and when Sin Yu told us what happened we came to look for you." Quetz said.
"How did you know we were here?"
"We always know where our dads are." Replied Tezca, "but when you just disappeared we got worried and called Sin Yu, he told us to wait and he would find you, when we felt you and Dad Swiftwing again, we decided to come, what did they do to you, are you alright?"
"Yes Tezca, we're fine, it was bit hairy for a little while but Sin Yu did what he's good at and now we're free again."
"We're going to go and flatten their capital and every one in it." Tezca said with such venom in his voice that even Peter felt the power of his words.
Peter quickly pulled both boys into a hug as he tried to calm them down.
"Listen Tezca, and you too, Quetz, there's a lot of good people in this country that don't deserve to be held responsible for a few idiot politicians, most of them are just honest hard working people that are trying to survive under a tough regime, if you want to help that's fine, but we're not going to be like them and just destroy everything in sight."
"What are we going to do then, you can't let them get away with doing this to you and Dad Swiftwing." Replied Quetz.
"First we get back to Uxmal, then we make our plans and start to infiltrate their system, once we have all the information we need then we'll take action, the most valuable thing you can have at a time like this is information, I know you both have the power to destroy everything they have but we can't do that without involving innocent people, that's not what we do, we have to live after this is all over and if we anger to many innocents then we're not going to have any peace for years to come."
Jeffery watched as the two boys nodded their heads in agreement, it seemed strange to watch a young teen like this Prince Peter, being referred to as a Father of two boys who looked so much older, Jeffery thought he would never be able to understand how these folk worked although he wanted to learn more and more as he saw then together, he only hoped the young Prince was serious about keeping him around, the alternative was not a happy prospect.
For the rest of the day, the group kept an eye out for any sign of the helicopters returning but, much to their relief, there were no more sweeps and they relaxed and waited for the return of the night so they could make their escape complete.
With the sun finally down, Peter organised for the human security guards to make their way by car to one of the Vaga houses until they could quietly leave the country and return to Uxmal, the Vaga folk, under Torson's leadership would go with them and keep them safe, Torson also was given the task of gathering as much information as his folk could and send it on to Peter in Uxmal.
For themselves, Peter led the others overland at a fast pace towards the Canadian border where their jet still waited for them, they would then have to take a long detour around the border of the States to make it back to the city of stone, while Quetz and Tezca could have used their abilities to get there almost instantly, they decided they would stay with their dads, they didn't want to take the chance on losing them again.
The fast paced trip through the night to the border was mainly peaceful although they had to dodge a number of guard posts that had sprung up over the country side after the escape from the complex, Director Simmons had used every favour owed to him in order to recapture the Vampires, it had not been easy to come up with an explanation without revealing his true purpose and why the escapees were so important, it was only his position that enabled him to hide the true facts of the case.
As the small group crossed over the border close to where the jet was waiting, Peter looked back with a small frown on his face, it was going to take a lot of work to clean out the entrenched parties of the ruling class so that he and his folk could return with safety to their homes, deep inside he also felt that the warring and death had only just begun.
Peter's real fear was what would happen if he allowed his two sons free rein in the North, the damage the two teens were capable of could decimate the entire country, it would be even worse if either he or Swiftwing were hurt or captured again, the two teens would unleash a hell the likes of which had not been seen since the Ice Age.
The final long leg of the trip took three hours but, just before daylight, the jet came in to land in the small private airstrip of senor Delgardo, waiting for them were the usual black SUV's, the group quickly transferred to the cars and, just as the first rays of the sun showed themselves over the distant mountains, they pulled out onto the track leading back to Uxmal, Sin Yu, Mbeda and Steven slowly settled into the dark covers supplied for their use.
On arrival at Uxmal, the three sleeping Vampires were carried quickly into the pyramid and to their respective cells while the other six went down into the lower recesses where the two teens now held their council, the lower temple was impassable to any unless they were accompanied by the two boys, the traps set so long ago by the makers of the temple still held danger to strangers.
Peter sent word to his private little spy section in one of the upper rooms, the two boys there were very rarely seen by anyone as they much preferred to be alone with each other in their computer room surrounded by active screens and inventing new ways to hack into the systems of the worlds governments, the only time the boys were not at their screens they were then seen in each others arms as they slept on the large cot set up in one corner.
Peter asked them to search all US data bases for any and all information of the man Simmons as well as keep an eye open for anything unusual on that same front, he also informed them that the Vaga houses would be sending in reports of all activities in the North, the two teens just nodded their heads without taking their eyes off their screens which were split into a number of windows with scenes running at top speed, even with Peter's enhanced senses, he couldn't keep up with the fast flowing lines of information, how the two did it was beyond him.
Peter returned to the lower temple and laid back on the sofa in the arms of Swiftwing, they were now both starting to feel the effects of the long days and as they were now safe in their haven, the tension caught up to them and it was time to rest and await for the next developments, their two sons were at the same time, hatching their own plans of revenge, they did not appreciated their two dads being treated like common criminals.
The two boys lay in each others arms on a sofa facing their Dad's, their conversation was going on within their minds so that no one could hear what was begin discussed, while their dad Peter had said they had to take things slowly, he had not said how slow, the two teens, while looking older and having the knowledge of the ancients were, deep down inside, still small boys and anyone even thinking of hurting their special Dads was in for some very difficult times.
As the two watched their Dads eyes close, they smiled at each other, they now had plenty of time to begin their own revenge, with a last hug, the two teens shimmered into the ether leaving their adopted parents alone in each others arms.
When the boys reappeared they were on the outskirts of Washington, their slim bodies partially hidden under the thick overhead branches of an ancient Mulberry tree, as they shimmered into being, two squirrels appeared from no where and walked up to the boys with little fear, Quetz created a handful of acorns from the air around him and laid them down for the small rodents, Tezca gave his friend a hug and smiled as he watched the small animals begin to fuss over the unexpected boon.
As the city clocks struck midnight, the two teens stepped out from the cover of the tree, joining hands they closed their eyes and the very air around them began to quiver with the power within the boys, above them in the darkness of the night a large black cloud began to develope as, around them the noise of the city lessened as the night time revellers began to wend their way home and the lights dimmed in the many office blocks that catered for the beaurocracy.
The clouds grew larger and more dense as the boys poured a little more power into their thoughts, around them the very air glowed and vibrated as, at first one and then another, followed by several more bright flashes of lightening lit the sky, there was the deep rumble of thunder across the city as more flashes lit up every nook and cranny of the Capital.
With little apparent effort, the two boys began to send the lightening in powerful bolts at a number of buildings, the strikes were long and protracted, to any mortal watching it was a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, that was until the damage began to show, to the outer edge of the Capital, sudden surges of lightening started to hit the power plants, within minutes the power supply began to waver and the many tower blocks of offices darkened one after the other until the whole city was in darkness, the resulting chaos on the roads made the two boys smile, with a few well directed bolts from above, the boys smiled at each other and shimmered into the blackness, instantly they reappeared on their sofa in front of their dads leaving behind a growing turmoil of destruction.
Quetz settled back in the arms of Tezca and closed his eyes as he felt the breathing of his brother and lover slow as he also fell asleep, they were both happy in the knowledge that they had struck a blow for their Dads, they had kept their promise and not directly taken a life, both were happy with their plan and drifted off into the sleep of the satisfied.
Peter was awoken by the continuous beeping of his cell phone, slowly he looked for the device until he saw it lying on the floor near the sofa, lifting it to his ear he heard the voice of one of the boys in the tech office.
"My Lord, I think you had better come and look at this."
"What is it?"
"It's a little weird but there's one hell of a storm going on up North."
"What's unusual in that?"
"The fact that it's sitting only above Washington and nowhere else, it just doesn't seem right."
"Ok, I'm on my way."
Peter tapped Swiftwing on the shoulder to rouse him and then checked to see his two sons were still asleep on the other sofa, both were sleeping peacefully in each others arms, Peter signalled Swiftwing to follow him down to the tech office where two very anxious boys waited for them.
The two techs moved aside for Peter an Swiftwing to be able to look at the screens, what the Prince and his consort saw brought a frown of worry to their faces, if it wasn't for the fact their two sons were sleeping up below them, they would have thought the two god boys had had something to do with the violent storm raging in the Capital of the North.
From the satellite pictures, Peter and Swiftwing could see nothing but a major catastrophe, massive flooding and wild roaring winds that blew down every street and highway, it was as if a wild and savage cyclone had suddenly hit the city, lightening flashed and struck buildings, rain pummelled the surface of the streets and roads making it impossible for any vehicle to traverse it, emergency services were hindered at every turn as buildings shook and began to crash to the streets below.
Widening the picture, Peter and Swiftwing saw that there was not even a breeze or splash of rain outside the central circle of five kilometres, everything was concentrated only over the center of government and its immediate area, the streets and roads worked to make the torrential downpour recreate wild mad rivers as the water was compressed into the narrow alleys and streets that bordered the tall imposing buildings.
Even as they watched, all four boys saw the beginnings of some tall skyscrapers being undercut by the raging torrents, large lumps of concrete fell from the buildings as the effects took their toll on foundations not built to handle this sort of freak weather, they could also see a large number of bodies being swept along in the raging currents.
Jet liners trying to take off were visibly swept off the runways, those trying to land suddenly pulled up and headed for other airports and the safety of calmer weather, even as they watched the destructive forces of nature, the four boys shuddered with the realisation that there were very few forces in the world that could cause such devastation in such a small and local area.
Peter looked at Swiftwing and saw that his partner had the same thought, they both left the room at a run, there were only two people on earth that could have created such energy and control over the natural forces, they both quickened their steps downward until they were standing looking down at their two sons.
Quetz and Tezca opened their eyes at the same time and looked up into the concerned faces of their Dads, an unsteady smile came over the faces of the two as they saw the look on Peter's face, it was one of disappointment but underneath it also held a look of awe and pride, Peter spoke first.
"Well, boys, looks like you're busted, can you stop it?"
"Yes Dad P, we...well we thought it was the right thing to do, we were only teaching them a lesson." Replied Tezca.
"I can understand that Tezca, but there's a time and place for everything, what you both have done is put innocent lives at risk, if you're going to teach a lesson to one party, you can't go carte blanche and just try to destroy everything to achieve that."
"We're sorry Dad P; we can stop it now if you want?"
"Yes I think you better, they've got enough to contend with now, it will also slow them down a bit before they can come after us if they want to."
Quetz and Tezca clasped hands and left for the top of the pyramid at a run, within ten minutes they were both back and looking a little sheepish as they sat down in front of their Dads and waited for another blast from them, it wasn't forthcoming however and the two boys relaxed a little as Peter started talking again.
"Now you two, no more games, there's going to come a time when will need your special abilities but it's not yet, we have to think about our own folk in the Vaga houses as well as those who are innocent of any crimes against us so, no more games unless you talk to us first."
Both boys nodded in agreement and sighed in relief at their escape from another brow beating by their Dad, they had got off light and they knew it, while they had the power of the ancients and could rule over any living thing, they also acknowledge that they would not be here together except for their adopted Dads.
Peter led the four as they made their way upwards again, Peter wanted to see what the repercussions were of the boys attack on the North, he was not expecting too much and he knew there would be a heavy loss of life in the Capitol City, in the back of his mind was also the realisation that they still had the Director to reacon with.
When they arrived in the tech room, Peter and the others looked at the wall sized screens, the devastation of the city had been immense, flood waters were still swirling along the now empty streets mixed with the detritus of fallen buildings, bodies floated down some of the avenues and the emergency services were under an immense strain trying to save what they could.
The power grid was still down and only those buildings with their own emergency power systems were able to continue operations, which, as far as Peter was concerned, also included the government agencies, the White House was still brightly lit and the security personnel were like ants on the ground.
The local TV stations were give minute by minute updates on the catastrophe and the unusual way in which it had occurred, nothing like it had ever been recorded except in the area known as Tornado Alley, but this was way more than any tornado had ever been able to accomplish, the storm had almost brought the Federal Government to a stand still.
While Peter was shocked at the results of the boys efforts, he also had an admiration for what they were able to do, this had been the first true show of their power and he almost gave a small shudder at the thought of what they would do if they were allowed have their head with no supervision.
Peter went to the two boys and laid an arm over each shoulder, pulling the boys into a hug.
"Well I think you got their attention, but I don't think they will understand it was from you, and that's a good thing, if they had even the least idea it was you two then we would have a full scale war on our hands, and that would not be good for us."
Both boys looked at Peter a little embarrassed but at the same time could feel in him that he was pleased at the same time, their two smiles were tempered only by the final realisation of what they had done when they saw the destruction, it had not been their plan to practically destroy a whole city, they would have to be more careful in the future.
Peter's attention was drawn to the doorway as the recently awakened Sin Yu came into the room.
"My Lord, what do we do with the young man we brought back?"
"Oh, yes, Jeffery, can you bring him to the lounge, we're going there now."
"Yes My Lord."
Sin Yu disappeared and Peter, along with the other three, left for the room they had put aside for their lounge and office, just as they arrived, Sin Yu appeared with a very apprehensive Jeffery held by the arm.
"Take a seat Jeffery." Peter said as he pointed towards a vacant chair.
"I would like to know in detail what you were supposed to be working on in the laboratory."
Jeffery looked around the room at the five strange people, all looked no older than teens and to a young man of twenty seven it almost felt as though he was an old man among boys, with at first a nervous shake in his voice, Jeffery started on his tale.
"Well, My Lord." Jeffery looked embarrassed as he used Peter's title for the first time. "I was just a junior assistant to the others but they were in charge of a genetic program started by the CIA, from what I could gather, they were trying to investigate the possibility of getting DNA from people that had strange abilities so they could make a sort of super soldier."
"And what is your interest in genetics, Jeffery?"
"It was something I was always interested in at school, there's so much that's not known about the science but I wasn't expecting to be caught up in their type of research, I was top in my year so that's probably why they asked for me."
"Do you still want to work in that field then?"
"Yes, it's all I know."
"Why didn't you take up a field that would be more helpful to the human race?"
"When they first approached me I didn't know what they wanted me for, it wasn't until later I realised what we were doing, by then it was too late to get out."
"What about now, what do you want to work in?"
"I don't know anymore, there's so much out there that needs attention but, if I truly had my way, I would like to work on the genetic evolution of man and see how we could use that to improve the general health of all people without the use of poisons and the continued intrusion by chemical companies."
"Ok, Jeffery, I want you to go and make a detailed list of what you would need to do your research, when the list is complete bring it to me and we'll see what we can do, now then, is your accommodation ok?"
"Yes, My Lord, it's a little unusual being in an old pyramid and I would like the chance of investigating it further if I could."
"Well for the moment it's better you keep to the area you're in for now, this place is very old and has a lot of ancient traps built into it, so its' not safe to go walking around without one of us with you."
"Very good My Lord, I'll keep to my rooms but, perhaps one day I can look around."
"I'll arrange it for you, now if you would like to go and sort out that list we can get you started."
"Thank you My Lord."
Jeffery got up and let Sin Yu lead him out of the room, Jeffery was surprised at how easy it was to talk with the young Prince and how he had been able to relax in his presence, the whole experience had been totally new to him and yet for the first time in years he felt as though he had come home, that and the possibility of working on his own research gave him a warm feeling, he had never been entirely happy with his place at the CIA lab.
Quetz and Tezca decided to leave and go out into the jungle to see their people and to commune with the varied animals and birds of their realm, Peter and Swiftwing needed to feed and went in the direction of the cells. As Peter let the obese body of the large sweating man fall to the floor, he wiped his mouth of the small residue of blood and turned to Swiftwing who had also just finished.
"Well my love, what do we do about our Northern friends, do we let them recover from the storm our boys made or is it time to start our little battle with them."
"I think we should start to work undercover for now, I think if we begin to subvert their government, the honest people will slowly move over to our way and get rid of the guys at the top without us doing too much."
"Yes, that's what I thought, let's get out of here and start to make more solid plan, we need to get hold of Torson and let him know what to look for and how to start to create some dissent in their order."
The two Vampires walked quickly towards their rooms at the base of the pyramid as they talked and threw ideas to each other, they knew that in a short time they would have to return North and help in the subversion, there was also the fact of bringing all the folk together when the time arrived for them all to return to their homes in the North.
It was just over a month later; Jeffery was ensconced in his new lab which had taken a lot of serious work on Peter's behalf to get all the equipment he needed, but Jeffery had everything he could have ever wanted in a lab, his wildest dream had become a reality, it was as he was finishing off the placement of the last of the equipment that Jeffery was called for the first time by Peter since his lab had been set up.
"Jeffery, we have an emergency, I think we need your skills."
"Yes Mr Lord, what can I do" Jeffery was now quite used to the title.
"I think we have a major problem, can you come down to the lounge?"
"Right away, My Lord."
Jeffery quickly replaced the phone and quickly strode downward to the main lounge where everyone was used to meeting, as he entered he saw that all of the Princes people were there, his partner and their two adopted sons along with all of his personal guards and four very old native men.
Jeffery looked at the worried looks on the faces of the assembled men and Vampires; it looked as though something really bad was happening.
"Yes, My Lord, how can I help?"
"We have a major problem as I told you Jeffery, and I think you are the only one that can fix it for us, last night, an unknown jet flew high over us, this morning we have a lot of the natives taking sick, so far we have nearly two hundred dead and over five hundred very ill, I need you find out what they were hit with and how we can help them, what do you need?"
"Certainly, My Lord, if I can have as many samples of blood from all the sick ones and as much detail on the effects of the illness, then I can get started right away."
Peter turned to the two boys.
"Go with Jeffery and show him the ill, try to help him with anything he needs."
The two boys rose to their feet and gestured for Jeffery to take the lead as they left for the upper temple where they had taken all of the ill patients as there was no other place for them to go, as they arrived the saw more of the people being brought in by relations and others, the large floor area of the temple was quickly becoming full.
Surprisingly, Jeffery took one look at the first patient, stepped back for a minute then took off for the lower lounge as fast as he could, just that one glace told him what they had been hit with, he had at first thought it would something new and very complicated but the evidence before his eyes told him all he needed to know.
That evening, all TV stations were tuned to one station only, every TV was turned on as the populace had been warned of a special broadcast by the President, on the many screens was the picture of the oval office, at the center was a podium with the seal of the president on the front.
Behind the podium stood the tall gaunt figure of President Carabine, his large hawk like nose was wrinkled up in an attitude of distaste, his dark eyebrows were frowning out over his black piercing eyes as he took his time to compose himself before speaking, with a soft cough he began his speech to the nation.
"My fellow, god fearing ,Christians, as you all know, our Capital was hit with a storm the likes of which has not been seen since the launching of the Ark, our losses were great and the destruction will take years to repair, however, this was a just and fitting penalty from God, this was God's will that we may learn from his hand that we have been lax in our vigilance of evil, we have allowed a race of demons and savages to raise their spawn and attack the very foundation of God's society, we deserved nothing less than His wrath.However, my Christian friends, we have been able to strike a blow in the name of Christ the Saviour, last night we sent to the country that has protected those who would evade God's will and have rained down upon them a pestilence that is fitting and just in the eyes of God, in weeks none will survive his wrath and we, the true Christians of this earth, will reign again in our rightful and Christian place, it is God's will that none should stand against us, thank you and good night."
President Carabine turned and left the podium, his tall figure strode with a purposeful stride as he disappeared into the depths of the White House Bunker where he was well protected from the ravages of the previous storm, it was God's will that he should survive to carry on with the good work.
Under the Pyramid Peter sat and watched the broadcast, as Carabine strode from the Podium, Peter heard the fast approaching footsteps, he already knew the cadence of the pace, it was Jeffery's steps, it sounded as though the young man was in a hurry, somewhere, deep inside, Peter felt a shiver of fear as the foot steps grew closer.
"My Lord, we have a problem, a very dangerous problem."
"What is it Jeffery?"
"The natives have been hit with an enhanced version of small pox, they have no immunity to it, it's not the most virulent form made but bad enough that it could wipe out every native in the jungle."
"Carabine, that man is insane, can you do anything to help them Jeffery?"
"Yes, My Lord, but it will take time, time I don't have, if it's the strain I think it is then they have perhaps, two weeks before they're all struck down, it will take me nearly that long to make enough vaccine to protect them."
"Isn't there anything that can be done?"
"Well, My Lord, there is one thing, but it's not easy or safe."
"Tell me."
"There's a bunker at White Sands that holds all of the vaccines needed to protect our troops in the event of a biological attack, there would be plenty there but getting it is another thing, it's very well guarded and also very dangerous to go into if you don't know what and where to look, part of the complex is where they experiment on new biological weapons so if you go in the wrong room you just might release something more dangerous than what we have already."
"Do you know the lat out and the exact location Jeffery?"
"Yes My Lord, I was there for three months when I first started on the genetic project."
"If we can get you in and keep you safe, will you do it for us and for the locals, if too many die from this, I won't be able to control the two boys, and believe me, that's something you do not want to see or be on the end of."
"If it is your wish, My Lord."
"It's not what I would want Jeffery, but I see no other way, I can guarantee your safety but we need your knowledge and expertise on this."
"Yes My Lord, I can do it but how are we going to get in there without being seen and found out, they'll be waiting for something like this to happen or they are dumber than I thought."
"Well Simmons might think of it but he won't get the chance, you go and get what you need to take and leave the rest up to me."
Jeffery left the lounge and hurried to his own room to change into something that would let him move better, he had full trust in the Prince, he had seen too many things that these folk could do and had little doubt that they would get in and out of White Sands complex with their vaccines.
TBC.
Artcart65@vodafone.co.nz