Coalition of the Damned - 03 (13 page)

“Yeah, I know. What other options do I have?” he asked. “I’m a sitting duck out here.”

Gregory laughed. “Think you can wait another five minutes?”

Dom paused, unsure what Gregory was getting at. “Why?”

“Team Two dispatched a chopper as soon as we told them where you were. Coming in hot from Aviano. Should be there in about five minutes.”

“Five minutes? Must be one helluva fast Huey.”

“They were already out on maneuvers and they gave a command override. You’re getting a ride back in style,” Gregory quipped. “Must be nice to be considered a high value asset.”

“Must be,” Dom muttered. “Yeah, five minutes is cool with me. Any idea where I’m going?”

“Back to Aviano, then probably to Groom Lake,” Gregory said.

“Where?!” Dom yelled. “I don’t think I heard you correctly, LT.”

“We’re bugging out of Tinker. Relocating to Nevada. We’re going to bait the vamps to the desert to keep the collateral damage as low as we can.” He said. “All the teams are converging there, so you’ll probably ride in with Team Two.”

Dom shook his head. “Hey…whatever, man. As long as they bring me a sandwich, I don’t care if they take me to Disne
yland.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I should probably cut the chatter. This line isn’t secure.”

“Copy that, LT.” Dom could just pick up the blades of a chopper cutting through the air in the distance. “I think I hear it approaching, LT. I’m going to let you go.”

“Good to have you back, S3.”

“Good to be back, LT.”  Dom put the phone back on the receiver hook and looked off in the distance. He could just make out the outline of the chopper as it crept toward him over the horizon. He stepped away from the kiosk and out toward an open field. He took the 9MM and shifted it to the back of his waistband, just in case the chopper crew got nervous when they saw it. He waited until he thought the pilot could see him clearly then waved his arms and bent down to avoid the blades and downdraft as the bird settled in next to him. A crewman stepped off the helicopter and asked if he were Dominic DeGiacomo. Dom told him yes and gave a thumbs-up. The crewman ushered him aboard and helped him to buckle in. He donned a set of headphones and the pilot took off again, heading for the small Air Force Base.

Dom looked out the side window and finally heaved a sigh of relief. “There’s no place like home…”

*****

Viktor returned to Tinker Air Force Base with a heavy heart and a small package in his briefcase. He found Thorn in Evan’s lab waiting for him to bring the artifacts in for analysis. Thorn and Dr. Peters were discussing something that Peters was co
nstructing as Viktor arrived and set his briefcase to the side.

Thorn turned to him, relief and worry both crossing his fe
atures. “Viktor, I am pleased you have returned safely.” He embraced the man. “Were your endeavors fruitful?”

Viktor lowered his head and nodded solemnly. “They were.” Thorn was confused by his reaction.

“I would think you would be elated,
mon ami
,” he replied softly. “We have another weapon that may be useful against the Sicarii.”

Viktor raised his eyes to meet his master’s gaze. “I am torn by many different emotions.” He replied softly. He opened his briefcase and handed the relics to Thorn, wrapped in the velvet material. “These are holy relics, never to be replaced and we are about to destroy them to stop a mad man.” His eyes bore into Rufus. “And should we be successful, then legends say that
you, too
shall be killed as well. I can find no solace in such endeavors.”

Rufus nodded solemnly, suddenly realizing the lengths that he had pushed Viktor. He pulled the man into a hard embrace. “I have known you for far too long and asked of you many things.” He patted his back. “I will ask no more.”

Viktor nodded and pulled back, trying to maintain his composure. Thorn had grown to become more than just a friend, but almost a surrogate father to him over the many, many years they had been together. Aiding to find the relics that could well lead to his death was more than Viktor’s heart could take.

Evan interrupted and requested the artifacts. He pulled on surgical gloves, then cotton covers over them and carefully u
nwrapped the velvet material. He placed the coin under a lighted magnifying glass and studied both sides of the coin. “Remarkable,” he breathed.

“It was verified numerous times before the Vatican accepted it into their care,” Viktor stated, almost taking offense that the vampire wanted to analyze it.

“Of that, I have no doubt,” Evan said without looking up. “I just want to test something really quick.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a small plastic bottle of nitric acid. With a swab handy and a pipette, he placed a micro dot of acid along the coin’s edge to see what color the acid changed to. It quickly changed black and he blotted the acid with the swab, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s silver. Pure coin silver.”

“What do you think would be the best delivery system, Do
ctor?” Thorn asked, almost assured he would say a bullet.

“The most effective spread would be to liquefy it and make a silver nitrate bomb,” Evan answered, “but that would mean diluting it, and I have no idea how affective that would be to the Sicarii. If we melt it and cast a bullet, the bullet could fragment before it left the barrel. This isn’t pure silver so the impurities could weaken the casting at any point.

“We could mix it with pure silver to strengthen the bullet and stretch it out, making MORE bullets, but again, we’d be diluting the mixture, and we have no idea the effect.” Evan sighed and sat back in his chair. “In all honesty, the most effective application that I can think of is to somehow get this coin on or
in
the Sicarii himself.”

Thorn stared at the other vampire dumbfounded. “How would you propose we do this?”

Evan scratched his chin as he studied the coin. “That is the question, isn’t it?”

Viktor listened to the two discuss the coin and decided to bring the piece of the cross to their attention. “We also have the wood, as well. It is large enough to perhaps make two stakes.”

Evan turned to it and placed it under a lower magnifying glass. He studied it for quite some time, nodding and moving closer to admire different aspects. “Are these different discolorations supposed to be blood?”

“They are, but they were not tested,” Viktor stated.

Evan pulled a scalpel from his autopsy test kit and scraped lightly from the wood onto a sheet of paper. He funneled the paper and tapped the contents into a test tube. He began mixing his chemicals and liquefied the sample, then added the reagent and smiled when it changed color.

“It is blood. And it is human,” he turned to the others and stated. “Of course it is impossible to determine exactly whose blood or get a DNA sample at this point. It’s too old and degra
ded for that level of testing. At least, with the equipment that I have here…maybe with someone with more knowledge than I have and a lot better equipment, but I can’t do it.”

Thorn stepped closer. “I suppose we could do the battery test.”

Evan looked away from the sample. “What is the battery test?”

“My dear Doctor, do you mean to tell me that as a child you never stuck your tongue to a 9-volt battery?” Thorn smiled at him deviously.

Evan gave him a blank look, obviously no clue what he was talking about.

Viktor grunted with disgust. “He means a vampire could lick the wood and if his mouth caught fire, then BINGO! It’s the blood of Christ.”

Evan gave a startled jump. “Why on earth would you do such a thing? I thought the Vatican was positive that this was real?! Isn’t it verified?” he stammered.

Thorn laughed. “I am teasing with you, Doctor.” He clasped the man’s shoulder. “Relax.” Thorn used the velvet and picked up the wood. “How do you propose we use this, hmm? Carve a couple of stakes from it?”

Evan tried to calm himself, but the idea of setting his mouth on fire had him unsettled. “I, um, well…I’m thinking since wood is simply wood that we could maybe mill a few crossbow bolts from it. It has become much denser with time. It appears to be a type of cedar wood and it looks like this part is from near the heart of the tree, so it was fairly hard to begin with. Now with time, it’s just that much more so. If there is any way to preserve the sawdust and extract the blood, we can maybe spray it with an epoxy mixed with the blood to give it a one-two punch, don’t you think?”

Thorn nodded. “I like this idea very much. Much more than I like the idea of making the Sicarii eat the coin.
Oui
?” he asked looking at Viktor who nodded his approval.

“Yeah. As much as I’d love to shove the coin up his…er, down his throat, I’d rather shoot him with an arrow.”

“Doctor, perhaps you can find a nice silver chain to put the coin on for me? Something I can use to drape around the Sicarii? Meanwhile, a crossbow for my friend Viktor here. You will have your pulse…thing... backpack to use and the human hunters shall bring the sun. Perhaps together, we shall find a way to stop him.”

Evan nodded in agreement. “Well, the pulse microwave pa
rticle disruptor isn’t for me. I’m no warrior. But I should have the weapon prototype finished soon and ready for testing,” he replied. “If we can’t stop him, maybe we can at least change his mind.”

“
Exactement
.” Thorn  turned to Viktor and draped an arm over his shoulder. “Come,
mon ami
. Tell me of your travels while we prepare for the return of your family.”

“You have heard from Tasha?” he asked.

“Only that they had spoken to Maxwell and should be returning shortly,” Thorn replied, a knowing smirk across his face that Viktor could not see.

“Then I fear our task of finding Claudius Veranus has hit a dead end or they would be going there next,” Viktor commented as they walked out of Evan’s lab. Evan watched the two men walk away discussing the future and turned to go back to his work when a puzzled thought crossed his mind.

He went to a drawer and opened it. He fished through the junk in it and dug past wires and probes, spare parts for equipment and other bric-a-brac. Finally he pulled out a small 9-volt battery and held it up to the light. He studied the small object a moment and glanced over each shoulder to see if anybody was watching him. He had the unnatural feeling that he was being watched and he couldn’t shake it.

Tentatively he brought the small battery to his mouth and touched it to the tip of his tongue, feeling the electric buzz cross between the two connections and the shock across the super se
nsitive tissue of his tongue. He quite literally jumped and jerked the battery away and stared at it. “Good heavens. Why on earth would anybody do that on purpose?” he asked himself.

Evan startled again when his telephone rang right next him. He looked around and saw nobody, and cautiously picked it up. Before he could answer, Laura’s voice said with girlish laughter in her voice, “Shocking experience, isn’t it?” Evan looked up at the window in her office to see her peering at him through her blinds.

“I was just um...testing a theory.”

She laughed at him. “Don’t tell me that’s the first time you’ve ever done that?”

“Well, actually…”

“Oh, my God…” she laughed harder and Evan felt his face try to flush. Had he fed lately he would have. “I have to go. Matt’s waiting on me. Kisses.” She hung up and left him stan
ding there with the phone in one hand and the battery in the other.

*****

It had taken ‘Max’ some time to pack his belongings. It’s just nearly impossible to find a suitcase that will fit a Roman breastplate, helmet and spear. Commercial air flights simply won’t allow you to carry any kind of weapons onboard, so Max did the next best thing…they took his private jet. Nadia was honestly surprised that he owned a jet because of the way he lived, but Max explained that he often needed to travel the world, sometimes at the drop of a hat in his search for ancient artifacts to rebuild the church. It was a centuries old labor of love and he wanted to do it correctly. Every aspect of the small castle turned church needed to be restored to its former glory.

As the three of them settled in for the long flight, Natashia seemed to grow worse in her ‘falling apart’ and Max was gro
wing concerned. Nadia seemed to be more aloof and somewhat disconnected from her and somehow Max knew this was not right. He mixed Tasha a drink and made her drink it to calm her nerves and sat alone with Nadia.

“This is your first child, yes?”

“Yes.” She stared out the window absently.

Max nodded. “How long have you and your mate been tr
ying for a child?”

She turned and gave him a puzzled look. “We weren’t tr
ying. It just happened.”

Max raised his brows and nodded. “Truly?” This seemed odd as most wolves spent years trying to conceive. “How many years have you two been together?”

Nadia tilted her head as she looked at him, her brows tightening. “Years? We’ve been together only a few weeks.”