As he got closer to the low rise that hid the helipad from the rest of the compound, Pakow could hear the quiet whine of electric turbines.
He paused to rest for a moment, and turned to look at his weaving tracks in the fine dust. Like a damn snake that’s lost its mind.
Pakow smiled at the thought, and realized that blood loss was making him giddy.
Got to get there before it’s too late.
With that sobering thought, he started off again.
He crested the rise to find the helipad in darkness. Only the high-pitched turbine sound gave any indication that there was life down below.
“Did you bring the chip?” Wake’s voice floated out from the empty landscape to his left, causing Pakow to stumble.
Turning, he saw the tall, skinny form appear, only steps away.
“You’ve been there all along,” said Pakow, pointing a finger at Wake. “Been standing there watching me, and you didn’t even try and help?”
Wake smiled in the dim light, and his eyes glittered. “I couldn’t, actually. It would have compromised the spell I was casting. Did you bring the chip?”
Pakow looked down at his chest, at the fresh blood covering the ash-clotted old blood. “I’m hurt bad. I need some help.”
Wake nodded as Pakow looked back up at him. “Yes you do. Did. You. Bring. The. Chip?”
Pakow stared at Wake for a moment. “Help me.”
Wake shook his head. “I would if I could, Doctor Pakow. Believe me, it won’t be easy to replace you, but that is a cross I will just have to bear.”
Pakow felt the strength go out of his legs, and he sank to his knees. “What are you saying?”
Wake moved forward. “I’m sorry. I truly am. But it was you who led the wolf to our door, and even though I understand why you did it, that is still a big no-no.”
Pakow shook his head to clear it. Wake’s voice was drifting in and out and it was starting to confuse him. He suddenly felt far away from his body. The pain was still there, but it was disconnected somehow.
He tried to speak, but Wake shushed him with the press of his long fingers to Pakow’s lips. “Still, I would probably have saved you, but you’re too much of a risk to me now. If I took you with me, it wouldn’t take them long to find you. Not with all the blood you’ve left on the ground. If they found you, they’d find me too. I can’t allow that to happen. I’m very Sorry.”
Pakow talked past Wake’s fingers. “Shiva? My daughter?” Wake smiled gently, and Pakow thought it was the first time he’d ever seen the man look human. “Except for your recent actions, you have served me well. Rest easy. I’ll make sure your wife and daughter are well cared for.”
Pakow looked into that face and knew that Wake couldn’t be trusted to keep his word. “Shiva would never take anything from you,” be said bitterly. “She knows right from wrong, and you are evil. She would never take your charity.”
Wake smiled. “Now the chip, if you please, Doctor. There are people starting to search this area, no doubt looking for you. I’m running out of time.” He held out a bony hand, palm up.
Pakow smiled. “I’ll see you in whatever hell is reserved for those who have betrayed humanity.” And with the last ounce of strength he possessed, Pakow flung the chip out into the darkness.
Wake caught him as he fell, and Pakow looked into the other man’s eyes. For the first time, Pakow noticed that they were blue.
Wake smiled down at him, a tender, awkward look that didn’t sit well on his skull face. “I understand, and I won’t hold it against you. Now rest easy, Doctor. You deserve it.”
Wake lowered him gently to the ground, then Pakow watched as Wake drifted into the darkness in the direction he had thrown the chip.
He lay there, looking up at the night sky, which was surprisingly clear. The stars were faint, because of the fires raging near the compound, yet they twinkled softly. Like distant echoes in his mind, Pakow could hear the shouts of men, men who were looking for him, looking for Wake.
He didn’t care any more. Suddenly, all the pain in his body eased, and he was floating.
40
Let it be known that on this day; 10 August 2060. due to the overwhelming evidence presented, as well as the accused’s apparent refusal to come to his own defense, this court has no choice but to rule in favor of the party of the first part. Effective immediately, all control of said Fratellanza monies and property shall be transferred to Julius D’imato, pending a formal investigation into the mental capacity of Marco D’imato.
–
from D’imato vs D’imato, Writ of Judgment 3387-BLE-67 GHE, Magnolia Bluff District Court, Judge B. L. Clausen, presiding, 10 August 2060
De Vries watched as the tall, gaunt man walked away from the prone body of Raul Pakow. Shifting his senses to the astral, he saw the dark plane become filled with diffused light.
Glancing down, de Vries saw the last of Pakow’s aura slip away, his body growing dark, where once there had been light. I’m sorry. I wish things could have ended differently for you.
De Vries didn’t have time for more sentiment than that, because when he turned his astral sight back toward the walking man, the man who had to be Oslo Wake, he was stunned.
Wake obviously had no idea anyone was watching him, or he surely would have taken care to mask his aura. De Vries had gone up against enough creatures of darkness and magical prowess to see that Wake was at least an initiate of magic.
And he could tell that Wake also had a number of summoned spirits on call. Considering what the man had accomplished here, his power must be phenomenal. The other thing de Vries saw with utter clarity from the astral was that Oslo Wake was not sane, not even close.
Insane and incredibly powerful.
Wake was searching the ground carefully, probably for the chip de Vries had watched Pakow toss away from them. He Look a deep breath, thinking he could use a cigarette right now.
De Vries knew he wasn’t up to battling somebody of Wake’s power-not even on a good day when he was at full strength. Now, after fierce fighting, he was magically drained, physically exhausted, and daylight was fast approaching.
Still, there didn’t seem to be anyone else in a position to stop Wake from getting away. Taking another deep breath, de Vries stepped forward, heading toward the two waiting helos at an angle that would cut Wake off from his avenue of escape.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a cigarette, would you?” he said. “It seems I’ve crushed my pack.”
Wake, his back to de Vries, stiffened for a moment but didn’t turn. Continuing to scan the ground, Wake said, “My apologies, Mister de Vries. However, I do not smoke. Unlike you, smoking would shorten my life span, and that just isn’t something the world can afford to have happen right now.”
De Vries had finally covered enough space to put himself directly between Wake and the waiting helicopters, which rested on the pad about a hundred meters distant. “My, my, my, is that an inflated sense of importance I hear? The world will get along just fine without you, Doctor Wake, or may I call you Oslo?”
Wake finally bent down to the dusty ground and picked up something too small for de Vries to see, but it had to be the chip. De Vries could only guess what might be on it, but it was obviously important enough that Wake would risk death rather than leave it behind. There was no way de Vries could allow him to have it.
Wake straightened up and turned, a beaming smile that looked maniacal on his hollow cheeks “My dear, dear, dear, nearly perfect vampire. There is so much you don’t understand, and so much you can’t possibly realize at this moment. Unfortunately, the rest of your compatriots are enroute to us even as we speak, so I’m not able to take the time to fully educate you. However, I offer you a trade off of sorts.”
De Vries felt his skin crawl, something that hadn’t happened for so long he was at first unsure of the sensation. “Why do I have a difficult time imagining you offering me anything I might want?”
Wake walked forward, slowly shortening the distance between them, and for de Vries, it seemed us if his whole life, everything he had ever done, everything he had become, came down to this moment.
“That would just be another indication of your lack of understanding. I’m guessing you think my mission in this place was to create a mindless army of vampires to take over the world, or something equally melodramatic and wholly unviable.”
De Vries shrugged. “I’d be lying if I said that something like that didn’t go through my mind, but now I know it’s something else. I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re simply insane, which makes any effort to fathom a logical reason for why you’re trying to destroy the world an exercise in sheer futility.”