Jonathan Bond - The Terminus experiment

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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.”

Instead of getting angry, Wake laughed. “I can see how that might have occurred to you. However, you’re mistaken.” He stopped talking suddenly, and cocked his head to the side, as if listening to distant voices. The effect would have been comic were it not so disturbing.

“Say, now that’s an idea,” said Wake, looking at de Vries again, a tic causing his left cheek to jump. I don’t have time to explain it all to you right now, especially when you’re obviously planning to try and stop me from leaving. So, why don’t you just come with me? I could show you things that would change your ideas about what I’m trying to do, and you could make sure I don’t do anything to threaten the world until you’re sure I’m not insane.”

De Vries looked at him closely. “Sort of like my own personal vacation in hell, with the devil himself as my tour guide? I think I’d rather just end this madness now, instead of prolonging it.”

Wake stepped forward again. “De Vries, listen to me and listen closely, because I’m nearly out of time, and certainly out of patience. I can do things for you, things you could never dream. I can make you walk in the light of day again. can eradicate your blood lust. When was the last time you had a cup of coffee, ate a fresh fruit, tasted real meat? When was the last time you felt the sun shine on your face? All these things I can give you, without sacrificing any of the powers you possess.”

“You mean I can be a freak like D’imato and his son? No thank you.”

Wake shook his head violently. “Don’t be absurd, no, nothing like those… creatures. What I’m offering you is the next step in the evolution of humanity. And from what I know of you, no other vampire deserves the chance I’m offering. Even without my help you’ve retained more of your humanity than any other vampire I have ever known. You are a crusader on a quest as serious as my own, a vampire who doesn’t seek to exploit metahumanity for his own purposes, but hopes to save it. You have become, on your own, something very close to what I am trying to achieve.”

De Vries felt his jaws tighten. “You’re babbling. Get to the point.”

“I will try one more time,” Wake said, but if you don’t get it on this pass, I’ll be forced to leave without you. Imagine a world where every human and meta had all of the strengths of a vampire, without any of the drawbacks. No allergy to sunlight, no bloodlust, no fear of getting a splinter under your skin. Where disease is virtually unknown, and most important, a world where the evil ones, those dark vampires that exist now, would become second-class citizens. Doesn’t that sound like paradise?”

For just a moment, De Vries held his breath. What Wake was suggesting was fantastic, beyond anything he’d ever thought possible. “You’re saying that you’re trying to save the world from vampires by turning everyone into vampires?”

Wake nodded.

A chill washed over de Vries. “You truly are mad. You have no idea what becoming a vampire does to a man’s soul, and I don’t think you’ve given the slightest thought to the ramifications of mutating the whole world without anyone’s consent.”

De Vries moved quickly, hoping his words might have thrown Wake off-guard. He leapt through the air, feeling the mana build under his skin. The moment of truth.

Wake stared at him coming, and simply waved his hand in the air, a look of boredom crossing his skeleton face.

De Vries felt his body crash into a barrier that wouldn’t give. The momentum bent his back, and Wake’s barrier slammed him to the ground. He felt his body wrack with pain as the drain of his own failed spell coursed through him.