A subtle agency omnibus, p.49
A Subtle Agency Omnibus, page 49
part #1 of The Metaframe War Series
James could see the sense of Chloe’s words, but he observed, “You’re still vampires, living off the lives of people.”
“We’ll eliminate war, crime, illness, starvation, all the usual sources of early death. In comparison, the small harvest that vampires make on the human population will be trivial.”
“Do you know where the key is?” James asked, with growing belief.
“Yes, I know exactly where it is.”
“What’s stopping you from taking it?”
“I’ve been placed under a magical curse that forbids me from directly harming Crane. An impact of the curse is that seizing the Key of Ahknaton would kill me. I can’t touch it while Crane lives.”
“Magic?”
“It’s real, and associated to the Metaframe.”
“You’re trying to get rid of Crane?”
“Yes, the long game that I spoke of earlier.”
“What do you need from me?” James asked, his eyes flashing with fresh interest.
“There’s blurred video footage of me at Fort Dix that needs to be managed.”
“In what way?”
“Doctored, so that it doesn’t look like me. Shadowstone is working to clarify it today.”
Chloe made the last swipe with her razor and swished it clean in the hot water in the sink. She placed a hot towel over James’ face and gently wiped the last traces of shaving cream away.
James stood up and declared, “I’ll get it done.”
“Thank you, James. I will stay here today. It’s too late in the morning for me to move around outside.”
James nodded. “Of course.”
“Once the task is done, come back here.”
“Yes, Chloe.”
Chloe moved in close, leaned up and kissed James once on the mouth. She stayed close and whispered, “You’re special James. Never forget that.”
James stared at her for a moment, stepped away and went to his bedroom to complete getting dressed. Ten minutes later he was in his car and heading to Fort Dix.
James considered what had just happened. Chloe really trusted him. Her words rang true. She’d told him everything. There was a great war of powers underway, and it was time to choose sides. What Chloe was fighting for made sense. The world did need protecting, humanity needed protecting. There was a real chance to make a difference of historic proportions. Chloe’s ideas and ambitions were compelling. The choice was clear and easy to make.
James made his decision, embraced his future, and there was no more doubt.
* * *
The video conferencing system of the war room displayed three of the generals. Shen Zhen from Beijing. Dieter Franz from Berlin, and Haras Mosule from Jerusalem. In the war room, facing the main screens, sat Cornelius Crane, flanked by Clayton Maze on his left and Chloe Armitage on his right.
Zhen, Franz, and Mosule had completed their reports. In the last three months, there had been an increase in Red Empire activity across all world zones. A Chinese Shadowstone cyberwarfare unit had been wiped out, and their cyberweapons stolen. Tens of billions of Euros had been embezzled from several Italian, French and German banks. A Russian submarine armed with nuclear demolition munitions had been lost under the Arctic ice. The nuclear weapons had not been recovered.
Clayton had provided his report detailing the parameters of the assailant who had killed the praetorians in Boston. The Shadowstone team at Fort Dix had completed their work on the fragment of video that captured the assailant’s face. He was male, brown-eyed, with a small mole next to his left eye. Based on satellite footage. His physical capabilities for speed, agility, and strength exceeded the upper end of the scale of a praetorian vampire. Clayton finished his report by concluding that there were two likely options. The Red Empire had managed to convert one of their own elite warriors into a vampire and send them on a mission, or there was a rogue vampire of great skill and power operating against the Vampire Dominion.
Crane rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked to his right. “General Armitage, your report.”
“Sir,” Chloe began her report. “I spent last night scouting the sewers of South Dorchester. I focused on the area directly north of the battle site where the assailant was seen escaping to. I discovered a day old white phosphorous grenade scorch and this.” Chloe placed a congealed blob of metal on the table.
Crane frowned curiously at the scorched metal. “What is it?”
“Based on chemical analysis it corresponds to the remains of a power unit for an electrically heated body suit.”
“Someone wore a suit to artificially raise their body temperature?” Crane inquired.
Chloe nodded. “To simulate the Ramp.”
“It had to be a vampire,” Crane deduced.
“Yes, Sir,” Chloe agreed confidently.
Clayton declared, “This confirms my results.”
“A vampire is working for the Red Empire,” Chloe asserted. “I double checked the video footage. The assailant is a master of Red Empire Ninjitsu. There are no vampires in the Vampire Dominion with that skill set apart from Haras Mosule, and he’s accounted for.”
“And yet,” Crane frowned, “they destroyed the heat suit.”
“They must be planning to change disguises,” Chloe advised. “It makes good sense not to repeat tactics.”
“So how did they know about the mission?” Clayton asked?
Crane and Chloe exchanged a glance. Crane explained, “There is reason to believe a Red Empire agent is operating within the Mirovar force team.”
Clayton did a double take. “Sir, when were you going to share that with us?”
Crane shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t confirmed.”
“It is now,” Clayton declared. “The agent within the force team would have tipped off the Red Empire operative, and they showed up and protected the team. The Mirovar force team must be a cat’s paw for the Red Empire.”
“It would seem so.” Crane allowed.
“If I may continue?” Chloe asked with a touch of exasperation.
Clayton nodded.
“In summary,” Chloe stated. “My report confirms that a vampire is working with the Red Empire and is protecting the Mirovar force team. The vampire’s skill set indicates they originated from within the warrior elite of the Red Empire. I suspect that he is a volunteer, once his mission is complete, he’ll walk into the sunlight and destroy all evidence of his existence.”
Crane affirmed, “Excellent work General Armitage.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Crane studied his generals for a moment. “General Armitage suggested the possibility that the Red Empire have an agent in the Mirovar force team back in June. Events have proved her to be correct. She has demonstrated initiative, perceptiveness and an admirable ability to integrate diverse pieces of evidence. The rest of you would do well to emulate her methods.”
The other generals kept their faces impassive, as they replied, “Yes, Sir.”
“Humph,” Crane grunted. “The policy is clear - regain control over your territories and push back hard on Red Empire operations.”
“Yes, Sir.” The generals chorused more enthusiastically.
“Dismissed.”
The conferencing system automatically shutdown the remote screens.
Crane turned to Clayton and directed, “You have a new mission.”
“Sir? What of my current mission?”
Crane nodded. “Your current mission is complete.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I will brief you in two hours. Take a break and come back then.”
“Yes, Sir. Very good, Sir.”
Clayton collected his notes and left. The door automatically closing behind him.
Crane leaned forward and gently held Chloe’s left hand. “Chloe, we need to talk.”
“Yes, Cornelius.”
I wonder what he’s got in store for me now?
* * *
Cornelius looked steadily into Chloe’s eyes. His previsionary experiences demonstrated that she could have nothing to do with the recent reversals. The probability lines for her and the other generals were always dark. He was impressed by her recent identification of the threat of the Red Empire co-option of the Mirovar force team and the revelation that an elite Red Empire assassin had become a vampire. The Red Empire agent in the Mirovar force team was working closely with the vampire assassin. The Red Empire was on the move around the world. He needed his best general at his side and well informed of current operations.
It was time to tell her about the secret detente with the Order of Thoth and his strategic plan. He declared matter-of-factly, “There has been an agreement between the Head of the Order of Thoth, and myself for nearly two decades.”
“What?” Chloe asked incredulously. “You know who he is?”
“Yes. His name is Ramin Kain.”
“What’s the deal? It must be good to justify such a bizarre relationship.”
“Chloe, I’m a practical man. The detente is a temporary convenience. It has allowed me to focus on operations limiting the Red Empire and to complete my Day Guard program. The Day Guard program is all but ready to execute. I have enough super-soldier serum to create a force of two hundred and fifty soldiers. Soon I will be in a position to conduct twenty-four-hour operations against the Ramp masters. Their key strategic advantage, the ability to operate effectively during the day will be eliminated. When I am ready, I will crush the Red Empire and the Order of Thoth.”
“Who will lead the Day Guard?” Chloe asked.
“Clayton will be assigned operational command of the Day Guard program. It will be his job to see it through to completion. We will start with the first group of two hundred and fifty this month and build our tactical methods.”
“Will the Day Guard be integrated with Shadowstone.”
“Yes. They already are, in the UK.”
“Indeed.” Chloe nodded. “I remember you assigning a force from the UK to Jerusalem about two months ago when I was there.”
“The Phase IVs in the UK are an advanced prototype of what we have now perfected.”
“You will need a human interface between Shadowstone and the Day Guard,” Chloe offered. “I would recommend Louise Wesson.”
“You have verified her?”
“Yes. She checked out fine.”
“What of James Haley’s replacement?”
“Wesson again. Allow her to select her team. She has the capability to manage both organizations.”
Cornelius paused for a moment. “Granted. I will instruct Clayton of the organizational changes.”
Chloe leaned forward slightly and asked, “You always emphasized the need to acquire the Metaframe artifacts. How does that fit with this strategy?”
“As always, the artifacts remain our primary goal. I need to hold the dynamics of the conflict steady while I build the weapon that can crush our enemies once and for all. The Day Guard is the weapon, and once in play, it will prove decisive.”
“So, what happens now?”
“We are at a late stage in my strategy. These recent reversals threaten it. Stability is the key to completing my strategy.”
“What do you need from me? How can I help?”
“I need Ramin Kain kept alive and in place as the Head of the Order of Thoth until I’m ready to act. He is a self-obsessed fool who imagines he is a great strategist. In reality, he is a conniving schemer with very real political skills but poor military ones. The last thing I need is for him to be replaced by someone who would be militarily effective, such as Francis Mirovar or Justin Blake. Kain has become unreliable. He is deeply attached to killing Francis Mirovar, and for some unknown reason, Anton Smith. To stabilize the situation, we need to ensure that the Mirovar team is destroyed and Kain remains safely in his position.”
“I’m sure it can be done.”
“It is essential. There have been further reversals. My research facility in the Amazon was destroyed five weeks ago, most likely by Arthur Slayne. I am in the process of rebuilding it. But it has put the Day Guard program back by a year. Two hundred and fifty soldiers are not enough, I planned on having ten times that amount. I need to ensure that we have another year to complete the new research facility in Brazil. Once we have more serum, we can build a force of two and a half thousand fully equipped Day Guards. With such a force we can destroy the Order of Thoth and the Red Empire.”
“It is a stunning strategy sir.”
Cornelius studied his best general. Was she being sarcastic? The moment passed, there was no trace of deceit in Chloe’s face.
He grunted, “Humph. Be that as it may, it is not yet done. There are other risks to be managed as well. The new Red Empire vampire assassin, chief amongst them. I want you to focus on finding and destroying him.”
“I will need resources,” Chloe stated, spreading her hands wide. “There are many threads here. Find and destroy the Mirovar force team. Find and destroy the Red Empire vampire. Keep Ramin Kain safe. I can’t be everywhere at once.”
“What of James Haley, have you converted him yet?”
“No. He is still too useful as a human, and for this mission, I would like to keep him that way. Instead, I need Marcus Drake to return, and I need a specialized Shadowstone combat team.”
“Granted. I will replace Marcus once I’ve recruited new praetorians.”
“When will that be?”
“Tomorrow. You need to feed tonight and prepare for a trip to Syria. We will leave in five hours’ time.”
“Targets?”
“A US Black Ops team is on the ground. They’re about to be swamped by a much larger Syrian Government force.”
Chloe raised her right eyebrow quizzically. “Which side are you playing?”
“Both.”
“How many recruits?”
“A dozen to start with. I’ll get eight to ten after we account for loyalty issues. It will provide a new force with modern tactical and weapon skills.”
“Where will you use them?”
“Jerusalem, they can back up General Mosule, and you can have Marcus Drake back.”
“Excellent.”
“You mentioned a specialized combat team. What did you mean?”
“A small tactical unit equipped with blackwidow gunships.”
“How many, and for what purpose?” Cornelius asked.
“Three, and I will use them against the Mirovar safe house when I find it.”
“That’s the spirit of old. I like your confidence.”
“I’m sure that we will find the safe house, there are some good leads that suggest it is up in Maine. Another two weeks and we will have it for sure. Once identified, I will vector in the blackwidows and destroy them.”
Cornelius leaned forward. “You can only use the Widow’s if the target is outside an urban area. We must not risk another Boston incident.”
“Yes, Cornelius,” Chloe agreed, smiling confidently. “I will make sure of that.”
“Another thing.”
“Yes.”
“This secret is known only to Ursula, yourself, and me.”
“Understood.”
“Shadowstone cannot be made aware of this arrangement.”
“How will I keep tabs on Ramin Kain without engaging Shadowstone.”
Crane smiled. “I’m confident that you will find a way.”
Chloe frowned. “Yes, Sir.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Cornelius affirmed. He reached forward and patted Chloe’s knee. “Now go and feed.”
“Thank you.”
Cornelius watched Chloe rise, bow and leave. Throughout the meeting she’d been attentive, responsive, genuine - the old Chloe was back.
* * *
The Raven’s smartphone vibrated silently beneath their pillow. They woke up on the second vibration, grabbed the phone and got out of bed. They glided silently over the floor, wrapped a bathrobe over their shoulders and stole from the room. The other person they shared the room with remained blissfully asleep.
The Raven had participated in the deployment of the sensors that watched the area around the safe house and the barns. They had ensured there was a single narrow path through them to the haystack. The Raven used all their Red Empire Ninjitsu skills to navigate their way past the sensors. They moved around to the far side of the haystack, out of sight of the safe house.
The Raven read the text message. ‘Request Contact.’
It was the other Red Empire agent. The Raven sent the next check message in the list they had memorized as a child. ‘A red blade flies in the shadows.’
A few moments later, their smartphone vibrated with the response. ‘And finds its intended mark.’
Satisfied with the response. The Raven dialed the quantum address. It was answered on the first ring.
The agent, their voice depersonalized and masked by the software declared, “I have two tasks for you.”
“Yes, proceed.”
“Ramin Kain is now in play. Bug his phone with a tracker at the earliest opportunity. It is critical you ensure that other members of the Mirovar force team are aware of the bug and are able to track his movements. Send me a text when it is done.”
The Raven considered their options. There was a way it could be done. “Understood.”
“I need you to place an immediate conference call to Shabbah al Ahmar using your phone as a node.”
The Raven realized the agent did not have the capability to contact the Red Ghost directly. The agent had to be a third party and not a true member of the Red Empire. A shiver crawled over the Raven’s shoulders.
“Of course,” the Raven agreed. “I will place the call now.”
The Raven completed setting up the conference call. Their phone vibrated once and became silent. The Raven was excluded from the call. The agent would talk with the Red Ghost in unbreakable privacy. Three minutes later, the conference call ended with another vibration.
