A subtle agency omnibus, p.15
A Subtle Agency Omnibus, page 15
part #1 of The Metaframe War Series
Crane frowned from the wall display and declared acerbically, “After more than a month we have three Red Empire casualties, one dead praetorian, and zero useful information - those are not numbers that impress me - are my generals losing their edge?”
“No, Sir,” Haras affirmed. “The Red Empire are very difficult to find. They would rather die than be captured. We need more resources or a different strategy. If you were to allow us to create new vampires, we could draw them out.”
“Vampire creation is out of the question. You will have no control over those you transform. They could easily run amok and reveal the secret of our existence.”
Haras nodded.
“At General Armitage’s request, I replaced Praetorian Dench with Marcus Drake, a member of her own staff rather than another praetorian. I will now provide another two praetorians and an extra team of Shadowstone operatives. They will come from our Shadowstone force in England. They will all be in Jerusalem by the 10th of June.”
“With all due respect Sir, the Shadowstone operatives are not much help. In fact, since we arrived, three operatives have simply disappeared without trace.” Haras reported.
“What!” Crane growled. “The losses of Shadowstone operatives will in future be included in the main report - is that clear?”
Haras blinked. “Yes, Sir.”
Crane smiled without humor as he stared at each of them in turn. “Now something you must all understand, the six Shadowstone operatives that I will send you are all participating in an enhancement program of my own design. They’re not yet the match of an Order of Thoth operative or Red Empire assassin, but they’re certainly faster and stronger than a normal human. They will provide an essential daylight capability that will assist you to meet your mission objectives.”
It was a program Chloe believed would end in tears. She was certain that vampires should never try to enhance humans with capabilities that could one day match their own.
Haras nodded and replied, “Thank you, Sir.”
“Now General Armitage, your report.”
“Yes, Sir. There is nothing substantive to add to General Mosule’s report on the Jerusalem situation. However, just over thirty minutes ago, I received information from a Shadowstone team in Boston. They have an active Order of Thoth cell under direct surveillance; the Wu family.”
Crane paused for a long moment.
He knows about them! What does that mean?
“How many Order operatives?” Crane inquired.
How many is he expecting? Has he discovered Anton Slayne? He can independently read the Shadowstone reports - I must tell the truth. “Three Sir.”
“Normally this would be within your remit, but with you allocated to your current mission, I am shorthanded for generals.”
“We could send Marcus back to deal with the Wu family.”
Crane shook his head. “No, Marcus has no rank within the Praetorian organization. They will not obey him and you are both needed in Jerusalem. I think that I will need to deal with this local issue personally.”
She couldn’t let that happen. He would discover Anton Slayne. “Sir, if I may suggest, there is an extraordinary opportunity here that has not yet been discussed.”
Crane raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“The Mirovar team. Recent Shadowstone reports indicate that they remain active in the northeast and it appears they’ve recently moved from a safe house in Rhode Island to another location. We could use this Boston cell to draw the Mirovar team out into the open and then crush them all at the same time.”
“And how do you propose to do that? To - as you say - draw them out?”
Chloe let Crane’s skepticism pass her by. “By causing these Thoth operatives in Boston to run, and to call for help. Then we find the Mirovar team’s new safe house and destroy them all. They’re the key operational force located in the vicinity of your citadel, and the only group that could potentially launch an attack that could threaten you.”
Crane sniffed. “I think you’re overestimating their capabilities versus the defensive systems of my citadel. There is also no evidence they even know the location of my citadel.”
“Be that as it may, there is still a significant risk to your safety. I could return to the United States and be in Boston before sunrise. The operation to draw out the Mirovar team would take less than a week. Once the task is completed, I will return here. I will be gone for less than a week.”
“One week?”
“One week,” Chloe promised.
Crane grinned wolfishly. “So be it. You will return to Boston immediately. Drake will remain in your place until your return. Drake, you are assigned to General Mosule until General Armitage returns.”
“Yes, Sir,” Drake agreed.
Crane stared directly at Chloe and affirmed, “General Armitage, I will hold you to your word - I expect the heads of the Mirovar cell on a platter within a week.”
“Yes, Sir. Certainly, Sir.”
The meeting turned to other operational topics which engaged Marcus Drake, Washington Jones, and Haras Mosule. Chloe gave her respects and left the room. She departed to the adjoining Shadowstone airfield where a hypersonic shadowstar drone was waiting for her. Half an hour later, she was at 82,000 feet with the digital windows open, she normally enjoyed the near space view of the Earth curving beneath her, but not on this flight.
That was close. She tapped the end of her armrest with her finger. Now she had to work out how to draw out the Mirovar team in a week. Francis Mirovar was a very slippery fish - just how was she going to do it? It was not often that Chloe felt rushed by shifting circumstances, she did not like it, not one bit. Why did I make that promise? … There was no other way. I will have to adapt, and adapt quickly.
Chloe spent the rest of the flight reconsidering and adapting her plans.
Chapter Four
BODY
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SHADOWSTONE
INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
COUNTRY: (U) UNITED STATES (USA)
THE GENERAL SITUATION:
A. THE OPERATIONAL TEMPO OF TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS WITH A REVOLUTIONARY AGENDA HAS BEEN STABLE SINCE THE LAST REPORT.
B. THE ORDER OF THOTH IS THE PRIMARY TERRORIST ORGANIZATION OPERATING WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. THE RED EMPIRE HAS NO IDENTIFIED OPERATIONS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.
C. IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR, ABANDONED SAFE HOUSES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AT GRAY MOUNTAIN COCONINO COUNTY, ARIZONA, AND AT NARRAGANSETT RHODE ISLAND.
(... REDACTED IMAGES ...)
D. ANALYSIS OF EVENTS INDICATE AT LEAST FOUR OPERATIONAL ORDER OF THOTH CELLS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.
TOP SECRET/FGEO
RQ
#5390
NNNN
CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET, SECRET
- Content from a partially declassified preliminary Shadowstone information report.
* * *
Boston, June 10th, 07:00
Bright sunlight splashed off the iron roofs of the outdoor farmers’ market.
Anton pushed a shopping trolley along one of many market aisles. On both sides were arrays of fresh produce; Li selected and purchased items, crossing them off a list as Anton placed them into the trolley.
Gang had given Li and Anton the list earlier that morning and asked them to go to the market for supplies to cover the family’s needs for the week. Normally, all the food would be brought in bulk and delivered fresh to the Noodle House for the weekend trade, but not today, as the restaurant was not taking bookings for the weekend.
Gang had emphasized the need to ensure there was no one around if the Tiger Clan showed up in force. From the way he’d spoken, he clearly believed there would be a confrontation tonight.
Anton did not feel any concern for what might happen. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and Li smiled as she handed him a bag of apples. He wore a new gray hooded sleeveless top, his peaked cap and sunglasses. His garments matched the warmth of the day and kept his face away from prying cameras.
It was peaceful and pleasant; he was enjoying being with Li while not being hit by her. The training sessions all week had been especially tough, his bare arms revealing bruises, scrapes and a sutured cut where Li had allowed her sword strike to make contact.
They had shifted from the Hardwood Bokken to metal swords five days earlier. Initially, Anton had been deeply worried that he might accidentally hurt Li. By the end of the first day with the katanas, he realized there was no chance he would make contact with her as she was always a step ahead of him.
Anton and Li were nearing the end of the aisle. He could see the list was nearly complete and the trolley was filled with all manner of fresh fruits, and vegetables.
Li jumped backward. Something big and hard hit him from behind his left shoulder, throwing him into a display of cabbages. The trolley went flying, tipping over onto its side, spilling everything they had bought onto the concrete floor.
Rebounding back to his feet, Anton stood next to Li. The stall holders were screaming at him in angry Chinese. He ignored them. Li and himself were now surrounded by six of the gangsters from the previous Saturday night.
Li whispered urgently, “Don’t kill anyone, we need to get away from here.”
Directly in front of Anton was Sleazy, the one who had insulted Li. The gangster flipped open a pair of butterfly knives, one in each hand, and lunged at Anton. Anton ramped, turning outside the lunge, and trapping Sleazy’s right wrist. With a quick twist, he snapped the bones and Sleazy screamed, slashing wildly at Anton with his other hand. Stepping back from the gleaming knife blade, Anton dodged aside as the rest of the gangsters attacked.
Two of the gangsters went after Li, they were unarmed, except for wet cloths. The image of Marcus Drake and a drugged cloth rushed through him. This was another snatch and grab. The cloths would be doped.
The Ramp faded and Anton slowed down. Instantly running out of space, blades came toward him from all directions. It was impossible to see and dodge everything slashing toward him.
Spontaneously ramping, Anton trapped a stabbing arm, dragging the gangster forward, and driving the knife he was holding into the lunging arm of one of the other gangsters. Using the man’s body as a pivot, he leaped over him, collecting another gangster in the face with his knee as he went over the top of the ring of men around him.
Now behind the gangster, he kicked out the man’s left knee, pushing him hard back into the melee where he toppled over one of the other men dragging them both to the floor. The man with the broken knee began rolling on the ground clutching his shattered joint and groaning with agony, while another gangster dragged a bloody knife from his forearm.
To his left, he heard a guttural scream. Li was standing, poised and taut, a yard in front of the looming form of Fats. Another gangster rolled on the ground a yard behind her, his right elbow bent backward at an extreme and unnatural angle.
Anton didn’t have time to watch Li defend herself from Fats. The other three gangsters had regrouped and were charging toward him. Sleazy, his right arm cradled low, lunged with the butterfly knife in his left hand. Anton blocked the lunge with his right hand and drove in hard with his left hand, his fingers extended like a knife penetrated deep into the man’s diaphragm. With a great whoosh of air, he folded forward over Anton’s hand, before falling away to the side. One of the other two gangsters slashed at Anton as he twisted away, catching his arm, a line of blood appearing on the outside of his bicep.
Anton grimaced, and the grinning gangster who had cut him slashed again, but before his blade could land, Anton punched him straight in the face. His nose imploded, splattering across his cheeks, he fell backward, unconscious before he hit the floor.
The last gangster, his nose already bloody from being collected by Anton’s knee, lifted a thick bladed chopper. He swung it overhand directly at the top of Anton’s head. Ramping again, Anton stepped underneath the strike, trapping his assailant’s arm and pushing forward while ducking beneath the gangster’s armpit. Twisting and turning, he ended up behind the gangster with the chopper released and now in his own right hand. The man followed the arc of his arm, falling to his knees in front of Anton.
His eyes widened in helpless terror as he stared into Anton’s furious face. Anton’s arm snapped down, the blade following like a shining stone.
Li’s foot flashed in front of him, and the chopper was kicked from his hand. She dragged him away from the kneeling man, he resisted for a moment, then released the terrified man and went with her.
“Come quickly,” Li hissed.
Ignoring their produce on the ground, and a circle of unconscious, moaning, and sobbing gangsters, they vanished into the market crowd.
* * *
The morning sunlight streamed through the branches of the trees in Gang’s garden.
Anton, Li, and Gang sat at an outdoor wicker table, where Gang had supplied a generous breakfast of Congee, boiled eggs, toast, butter, homemade strawberry jam, a selection of cut fruit, glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, a pot of strong black tea and a jug of fresh milk.
Gang declared, “Eat first, fill your bellies, drink some tea, and then we will discuss important matters. Starting with what happened at the market an hour ago.”
The three of them ate quietly for about five minutes, Gang poured three mugs of steaming tea, and followed with a dash of milk to each mug. Gang sipped his tea and observed with a flourish of his right hand, “This tea is excellent. Its flavors are strong, decisive and authentic. Just like the conversation that we will now have.” He looked at Anton and asked, “Would you like to tell us what happened this morning?”
Taking a deep breath, Anton reflexively felt the fresh dressing over the cut on his arm. Li had sutured it ten minutes ago. He expected he was about to be grilled over the brawl in the market, and he was sure he deserved to be. “I know that Li will have spoken with you,” he stated contritely. “And that’s okay. We got into a brawl with the Tiger Clan, they jumped us with knives. A pair of them also carried wet hand towels which must have been doped with something. They were obviously after Li. It would match their boss’s agenda as he clearly wants her and he doesn’t care who gets hurt as long as he can have her.”
Gang nodded.
Anton paused, wrestling with turbulent emotions stirred up by the recent violence.
Gang waited patiently, sipping his tea. Li sat quietly, her tea untouched and cooling in front of her.
Anton looked at Gang, finding no judgment in his eyes, only a compassionate interest in his welfare.
Gang inquired softly, “Li’s safety is important, but that wasn’t the real issue today was it, Anton?”
Anton sighed and admitted, “I wanted to kill him.”
Gang studied him and advised, “Anton, it is good that you struggle with the acquisition of power. I would be concerned if you were not facing these issues.”
“I really wanted to kill him, and I would have enjoyed it,” Anton confessed. “I love the training,” he grinned sheepishly at Li, “even though it hurts. I love the Ramp, and what’s happening to me, the increase in power across the board. I love it all, and I want it all.”
“It’s good to be stronger and faster. But you must remember that the average human being, even misguided ones like the Tiger Clan, are not the enemy.”
Anton nodded.
“The average vampire, and I mean the average vampire is three times stronger than you are now. Some of them, like Marcus Drake, are substantially stronger than that. They’re also faster, and Chloe Armitage is twice as fast as you are now. In combat, they will either push past your blade and hit you, or hit you before you can defend yourself.”
Gang frowned and inquired, “Did you maintain good personal security this morning? Didn’t lose your hood, hat or sunglasses?”
“Yes, Gang. Everything stayed put.”
“Good work. We have to keep ourselves secret from Shadowstone and the Vampire Dominion. I must emphasize this point - it is essential that we remain hidden. If we’re discovered by our enemies, then we are most likely doomed.”
Gang paused, sipping his tea, allowing Anton to absorb the point he’d made. He explained, “It’s important that our skills are not displayed in public. There are -”
“Father, they were trying to kill him,” Li interrupted. “And kidnap me.”
“Be that as it may, you can’t be ramping in full daylight, and probably in front of a CCTV camera.”
“We were quite restrained,” Li argued. “In fact, anyone watching would simply see a pair of skilled Kung Fu experts defeat a gang of thugs in a Chinatown market - it’s a cliché.”
“Except that there are six gangsters in Tufts Medical or Massachusetts General emergency rooms by now. And what’s on the news? How long before a video shows up on YouTube? Shadowstone are explicitly looking for incidents just like this - and they will not see Kung Fu experts - they will see Order of Thoth operatives.”
“Shadowstone?” Anton queried.
“Yes. Shadowstone,” Gang explained in clipped tones. “They’re a very-well funded, well organized, para-military international spy organization owned and operated by the vampires, but staffed by humans. They have a mass surveillance system with artificial intelligence features called the Panopticon. They’re always watching for us. Its why we must remain well hidden. … unlike this morning.”
Aha! Shadowstone are the secret keepers, snapped through Anton’s mind. He was surprised by the core of tension within Gang, he’d never seen him the least bit agitated. There was a lot more going on here than he’d understood. Gang was worried about something and if Gang was worried, then Anton should be worried to. There was something bigger going on and he wanted to make sure that Gang knew he would do whatever he could to help. He offered, “Gang, the only reason I’m still alive is because Li and you gave me refuge. What do you need from me?”
