EHYEH-ASHER-EHYEH (I AM THAT I AM): An Elena Duran/Corazon Negro
Vi Moreau (vmoreau@directvinternet.com)
Sun, 22 Sep 2002 01:12:17 -0400
Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (I am that I am) 16.0/34
Julio Cesar divad72@prodigy.net.mx
Vi Moreau vmoreau@directvinternet.com
Island of Nod
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
March 29, 2013
Lilitu's laughter shook the stonewalls of the cave, so that in her delight
she caused mild tremors on the lighted surface of the world. It was no
matter. No one suspected she was there. In fact, no one had reason to
believe she existed at all.
But now she was whole. She was the beginning and the end, the bringer of
death.
What pleasure it would give her to play childish games again with the fate
of humankind.
========
New York
March 29, 2013
Zarach stood staring outside the jet's window, gazing into infinity. His
mind was plotting, trying to find the answer to the riddle.
In the halls of power, creatures existed to whom years were playthings and
the real world was a distant, unreal thing. Yet the real world had a way, on
occasion, of making its presence known, of asserting itself. Change, so long
held at bay, had come crashing down upon Immortals, an avalanche sweeping
all before it. The Endgame was at hand. The events in these modern days were
moving at an alarming pace. The mortal world could not be kept at bay. Not
forever.
Sitting besides Zarach, Heru-sa-aset asked, "Do you feel this move is wise?"
Continuing to look outside, Zarach scratched the stubble on his chin as he
answered. "The shorter the lines we have to watch, the stronger our defenses
can be. If we spread ourselves too thin, Lilitu will slip through. If we
pull tight, nothing gets through."
"But if the Headless Children do get through," Heru-sa-aset said, "they will
be in the city's center. We must press our lines forward, not withdraw them
so the enemy can strike swiftly at out heart." Zarach stood, shaking his
head patiently but firmly. "We are going to match them for manpower. We've
going to concentrate our special abilities."
"But surely we must have contingencies, the airport-"
"Keep a screen around the La Guardia airport, Prince. Keep it protected at
all costs. When the big push comes, we must take your fancy war jet at once
in order to reach Lilitu quickly and kill her." Zarach shrugged. "This has
got to be it. We'll never get this many Immortals together and organized. We
make our stand here, in New York." Zarach finished, sitting again.
Heru-sa-aset nodded, looking at his hands.
Beside the Egyptian, Myrddin turned his laptop so the others could see its
screen. "Look," the Druid said. The monitor showed a very detailed image of
the New York City area, focusing on the United Nations headquarters.
Zarach noted dots of different colors. Myrddin nodded at him, then pointed
at one of the dots. "Red shows New York cop foot patrols. Blue shows the
current location of Secret Service, FBI and other security teams."
Zarach nodded. The map was very sophisticated. Clearly it was being fed by a
direct link to a satellite. Myrddin never spared any expense for his toys.
Heru-sa-aset studied the map with intense care. Finally, without looking up
he said, "All right, we can go in here, then toward here. We come around
this place," the Egyptian went on, giving commentary that followed the map.
"And we could enter in here."
The map showed the point where they would hit the Headless Children.
Zarach sat quietly, his hands and interlocked fingers resting on his lap.
"If the United Nations falls, with all the leaders dead, there is little
chance of getting the world back."
Heru-sa-aset leaned back against his seat. "I agree. We can hold on here. We
have to. We shorten the lines; make sure we're not broken. I suspect the
Headless Children high command in New York will be antsy. We can figure time
is on our side. We hold out long enough, those bastards will start slitting
each other's necks and forget all about Lilitu."
Zarach pondered that, nodded thoughtfully. "The Headless Children are not
known for their solidarity," he agreed.
At that moment, the fasten seat belt signed and the pilot said. "Two
minutes."
"I know," Heru-sa-aset responded. "Prepare yourselves."
========
Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (I am that I am) 16.0/34
Julio Cesar divad72@prodigy.net.mx
Vi Moreau vmoreau@directvinternet.com
United Nations Headquarters, New York
March 29, 2013
Robert Sacchi, a seven-year veteran of the Secret Service, stood on a tower
overlooking the events unfolding below. He was in charge of a squad of
sixteen agents, and each squad commander reported to a superior. It wasn't
often that the Secret Service broke down into squads like this, but given
the size of this particular event, it was the best way to keep track of
everything and everyone.
Over the streets, the lights moved in a constant pattern that over the last
few hours had become familiar. Then suddenly, as Robert Sacchi was just
about to turn away, he thought he caught a glimpse of something large and
black blocking a portion of the distance building lights, moving about forty
feet above the city.
He keyed his mike. "Can I get confirmation that the airspace has been
cleared?"
"Roger that," a voice responded. "Airline flights have been shifted to the
north approaches."
"Thanks," Sacchi said, staring intently at the area where he thought he'd
seen the black form. Nothing.
He scanned the horizon along the buildings. Nothing.
Maybe he was just getting too paranoid for his own good. He was starting to
imagine things. And in his job, that wasn't a good thing to do.
He went back to scanning the road that led onto the United Nations, and all
the stretch limos still waiting to be cleared. This was going to be a long
night before it was over. A very long night.
========
"This isn't right!" Rasputin sputtered through clenched teeth.
Vlad barely suppressed his rage. "The attack must go forward, monk. It is a
simple order."
Rasputin obviously felt otherwise. In his agitation, he paced among the
preternatural shadows that concealed the two from view; he ran his
fingertips along his hair, up and down, one thumb above another, pinkies
together along the crest of his head. Ostensibly, he had left behind the
religious trappings that had so bound his mortal life, but like a penitent
with lapsed confessions, he didn't like to press his luck.
"The attack cannot go forward until you draw in your patrols, Rasputin,"
Vlad pressed.
Rasputin abruptly ceased his pacing, shoved a stubby finger toward Vlad.
"Somebody has screwed
up the orders. This can't be right. I'm not letting all the credit for this
attack go to damned-"
".To damned warlords?" Vlad offered, allowing a certain level of menace to
creep into his voice. Rasputin glared at his fellow commander and groped for
a less inflammatory term. "To. to others," he spit out at last.
"I see," said Vlad, forcing himself to use of a normal clipped tone so as
not to betray his growing ire. "Your patrols will ensure that our victory
will be complete. None of those people will escape us, and no one from the
outside will be able to interfere."
"I want to reconsider this!" bellowed Rasputin.
"Lower your voice, monk!" Vlad barked forcefully, but without imprudent
volume. "If you shout again, I will remove your head from your shoulders.
Now, give the order, or step aside for someone who will . someone who can,"
the Voivode ordered.
"I won't take that from you," Rasputin threatened, his voice rising very
close to the level that Vlad had decided would require drastic action.
Vlad, however, stood at perfect attention. Only his steeled nerves kept him
from striking out. "Take?" asked the Voivode's icy-calm voice. "There's
nothing for you to take, monk. Your job is to give-to give the orders that
were entrusted to you."
"My patrols are ordered to stand by," Rasputin continued. "To sit back and
just watch the assault. My boys can kill as well as anybody. However-"
"The orders have changed, monk," Vlad menaced again.
"What about the Ancient Gathering? They could be anywhere," Rasputin thought
aloud.
"If they show up, they will find their way blocked," Vlad answered. "There
will be no help for the mortals." The Voivode stepped closer to Rasputin,
whose every ounce of determination was barely preventing him from fleeing
into the night. "Give the order," Vlad said. "The attack will go forward."
The Voivode turned and walked away, secure in the knowledge that his
directive would be carried out promptly.
Rasputin, watching Vlad, thought he could hear the other Immortal humming
faintly as he left. Vlad was filled with pride at the skillful advance of
his squadron of legionnaires. The inky blackness crept forward, wrapped
tightly around the base of the building, and then oozed up the long ramp and
stairs to the main entrance. The other exists were being secured as well,
the Voivode knew, most notably the parking area attached to the building
where intelligence reported at least fifty drivers and a hundred body guards
awaited their international leader bosses.
A man stepped in front Vlad. "Parking area secured, sir."
"And the other exits?"
"Secure, sir."
"All of them?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well," Vlad said, smiling. "Take your position." The Voivode raised
his radio to his mouth.
"Commander?"
"Yes, sir?" a voice responded almost immediately.
"Exterior secure," Vlad reported. "Phase two complete."
"Phase three commencing, sir."
"Confirmed," Vlad reattached the radio to his belt.
Now everywhere Vlad looked, the shadows were alive with slow, methodical
movements. Not figures emerging from the substance of the shadow itself, but
larger shapes, vaguely humanoid-some more than others-moved in ranks toward
the building. The shapes varied in outline, as well as number and
configuration of limbs, but the figures shared an immenseness of stature.
They towered over Vlad. The impression given by this new advance was almost
that the buildings of the city were closing in on the United Nations.
It might as well be so, thought Vlad, so sure was he of his plans. He had
served Lilitu long enough to know that Mother did not lend support-much less
a full squadron of her powers-to affairs that were chancy.
The black-clad and masked Hunters moved forward also, continued forward
unopposed and converged upon the darkness-shrouded building, at which point
they separated into patrols. One patrol headed toward the parking-area
elevators. Another prepared to force entry through the main doors. Others
began to scale the walls.
Vlad was amazed at the efficiency of this mass attack, but he reminded
himself that they'd been training specifically for missions such as this,
perhaps for this exact mission.
But Vlad's time of being an onlooker was at an end. There was blood to be
spilled, and he would have some for himself. One final time, he checked his
sidearm and the special grenades attached to his bandolier, reminding
himself that they were here not to capture or enslave, but to kill and
destroy, with malice and prejudice. Then, with the ease that came with
Lilitu's borrowed power, he released his physical form to join with the
blackness before him, and led that blackness upward
along the outside of the building, past the ascending shadows and Hunters,
and on to the victims waiting inside.
========
Special Agent Robert Sacchi couldn't even begin to identify what he was
seeing coming toward him. Pure dimness. A cloud of pure darkness. Or a shade
of something very obscure that seemed to have substance. Just obscurity. It
fascinated him and scared him to death in the same instant. He keyed his
microphone. "Any contact at all with the Council Chamber?"
"None," came the response.
"Damn," he said softly, glancing at the shadows. He had no choice. He
flipped a switch and gave the order. "Code one. Evacuate."
Around him Secret Service Agents moved as a tight unit, and not far behind
him the rest of the security forces jumped into action, each group taking
care of their orders. The President should be instantly surrounded and moved
quickly with the Secretary of Defense toward one of the waiting cars
outside.
Along the road that led back from the United States Headquarters and all the
way into the city, Special Agent Sacchi knew all traffic was being cleared.
The cars were going to leave this place far, far faster than they had come
onto it. The evacuation's procedures should work to the last detail. He just
hoped it was going to be fast enough. Across the surroundings, the cloud of
blackness continued to spread. At that instant, he lost contact with his
men, and then all hell broke loose. Robert Sacchi never knew what killed
him.
========