Act Three Chapter Sixteen - Bloodflowers

The lights of the city reflected off the calm waters of the Schuylkill River as the late evening traffic raced up and down Kelly Drive. Michael stood by silently as, one by one, his companions lit candles, placed them within small boats, and took them down to the river bank.

Behind them, her voice firm, Sarah began to read off the names each boat represented. “Cortez Molina, Marcellius Myers, Jaclyn Butler, Bryce Rush, Julia Snow, Mikail Primakov, Scorpion Miller, Sabrina Savage, Anton Le Rouge...”

Werewolves, mages, TFV hunters, a vampire, all had given their lives to defeat the Dark Brotherhood. The enormity of it weighed heavily on Michael. They’d fought battles before against powerful enemies. But never had they wracked up a body count like this. Never had so many given so much for Michael’s schemes, however well-intentioned.

Sarah finished the list. “...Martin Lovejoy, Nicole Hurst, Balthazaar Murray, Thaddius Zao.”

There was a long quiet pause as the list concluded. Michael stepped forward. “These allies and friends gave all that they had for the sake of the future. The Dark Brotherhood has long cast its shadow upon this city, murdering and pillaging with impunity. It has made alliances with dark eldritch powers beyond our world, with elements of our world of darkness, and with ambitious mortals who seek beyond their grasp. But thanks to their sacrifice, the work of the Brotherhood has come undone. Their headquarters burned to the ground. Most of their number dead. Their schemes, for the time being, thwarted.”

Michael looked over the assembled crowd. Of those who’d joined his coalition, only the mages of the Consilium were absent. (They had chosen to hold their own memorial in Chinatown for Zao and their fallen.) Alex’ TFV squad, Boar’s entire pack, along with Michael’s coterie of vampires were present. Standing with Mitch was another very-welcome visitor, Anna Tate.

“The work isn’t done though.” Michael continued. “Regulus Noble escaped, as did Flame Santiago. The two of them still pose a significant threat. Others of the Brotherhood were absent the night we struck Hell Hotel. While only a handful now, they could rebuild and rise again to plague our city anew. We cannot let that happen.

“There are also the rumors. The hints. The clues. The investigations that brought many of us to Philadelphia in the first place. Unanswered questions. What were they planning? What do the communication satellites of the Comcast corporation have to do with it? Their alliance with the vampire prince. What does it mean? Who was pulling the strings? What was it that Flame was so desperate to retrieve from that statue before he fled? What purpose does it serve? These questions vex me, worry me. Is there enough left of the Brotherhood to still carry out their plans? I fear it may be so.

“Diligence has become our duty. Whatever else we live these nights for, finishing the work our beloved friends and allies gave their lives for must take precedence. The Brotherhood must be destroyed entirely. It’s only legacy a memory on the minds of wizard, vampire, and werewolf alike. To this task, I dedicate myself and I hope you will be with me.

“Our friends’ sacrifice cannot be in vain. We must finish what we started.” With that, Michael fell silent.

Alex barked a few second later. “Company, present arms.” Mariah, Isaac, and himself pulled the ceremonial M1 rifles from their side and fired a salute across the river. “Company, dismissed.”

With the end of the military ceremony, the group began to relax somewhat. Michael went to Alex. “There is a certain comfort that comes with the familiar. The rifle salute for a fallen veteran, even if only one of our number qualifies.”

“Actually, we have a service record for Scorpion Miller, so two.” said Alex. “Still, good speech.”

“That nightmare we all endured has to mean something.”

“It does. You’re right. This is a new beginning. The Brotherhood no longer threatens this city.”

“We’re not done.” Michael repeated.

“Oh, I know.”

“Any fallout from defying Mr. Drake?”

“I’m not worried about him. He’s probably kicking himself for revealing his ruse to us. Knowing that he’s one of you gives us some leverage. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on any future assignments from him, presuming he calls upon us at all.”

“And if I call on you?”

“I doubt you’d abuse the privilege. Something about the common experience of hell that makes trust easier.”

“I’m sorry about Mikail.”

“He understood the risks. He died doing his duty. But thanks. He will be missed.” Alex paused. “And I’m sorry about your...what’s the word...childe.”

Michael nodded. Alex continued. “Well, farewell, Michael Allens. I doubt this will be the last time we cross paths.” With that, Alex and the rest of the TFV group took their leave.

Michael turned and headed over to where Anna was standing with Mitch. “Glad you came, Anna.” said Michael.

She nodded but said nothing.

“This is what he wanted.” said Michael, referring to Martin. “The destruction of the Brotherhood. It was his hope and goal for the Consilium and we made it happen.”

“It was kind of you to include him among the fallen at Hell Hotel, but we all know who really killed him.”

“I am as much to blame for his death as you.” Michael admitted. “I was the one that pushed the two of you into researching magic that was beyond you. His blood is on my hands as well, perhaps even more than your own. You did not choose to land the killing blow; that was the beast that took control of you. But I did choose to give you a task for which you were not capable.”

“It doesn’t matter now. He’s gone. That’s the only thing that matters.”

Michael shrugged and began to walk away. Mitch chased after him.

“She’s always like that. Don’t let it get to you.”

“I told the truth. I did...”

“You demand a lot from all of us, Michael, including yourself. After seeing what I saw in the Hell Hotel, I now understand what the stakes really were. This isn’t a world we live in that’s all flowers and rainbows. People like the Brotherhood exist. They are truly monsters and the only thing that can stop them is people like us. Winning the throne by saving the city is a good strategy, Michael. We’re with you.”

Mitch paused and then continued. “I like that you added Murray into the list as well. We both know what had to be done there.”

“If the truth ever comes out....”

“It won’t. The victors have written the history.” Mitch gave Michael a pat on the back. “We took a few licks, but we won. Don’t forget that in the midst of this memorial. We beat them. This is as much cause for celebration as it is mourning.”

“There will be fallout.”

“I don’t doubt it, but let’s worry about that another night.”

Michael hiked up the stairs to where Paul, Kathleen, and Janice were standing. Paul and his sister both had a frown on their faces.

“We could have helped. Might have made that list a lot shorter.” Paul grumbled.

“Or made it all the longer.” retorted Michael. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, Paul, but attacking with such a large group was probably a misstep on our part. Our numbers didn’t count for much inside. The Brotherhood found ways to divide us or make our size count against us.”

“How are we going to prove ourselves to you if you don’t give us a chance?”

“The last time I gave someone a chance to prove themselves to me, a mage got possessed by a demon and tore her lover to pieces. I wouldn’t put too much stock in my judgment in that regard.” Michael looked at the three of them. “Your moment will come. But it’s probably better that I be surprised by it than dictate it to you.”

Paul shrugged. He was not satisfied with the answer, but it was the best Michael could offer with the mood he was in. The trio walked off and left Michael by himself.

Sarah walked over.

“I still haven’t heard an explanation as to why you chose to follow us inside.” Michael growled.

“These proceedings would be a lot more reverent if you weren’t so determined to be such an ass to everyone afterwards.” she snapped in reply without meeting his eyes.

Michael opened his mouth to offer a retort, but Sarah cut him off. “I knew you wouldn’t let me in if I just asked. I have no combat skills to offer such a group. I’m not a fighter. But Emmanuel raped me and I wanted a piece of him. So I followed you without you knowing.”

“Revealed some skills I didn’t know you had.”

“I am a childe of Ernie and I carry his blood. As I grow stronger and older, I begin to manifest some of his power.”

“You’ve never talked much about what Emmanuel did to you that night.”

“There’s a reason for that. Sure, I’ve been ‘raped’ dozens of times while hunting. I have a submissive masochistic streak, as you well know. But I was always in control in those circumstances. I was still in power. What Emmanuel did to me was different. He took away my power. Made me helpless and I was not about to let him get away with that.”

“And you shared none of these feelings with me?”

“Michael, I love you and I know you. If I had told you the depth of my injury, you’d have just gone off to avenge me. In the rotunda battle, I saw you hesitate between fighting Flame and fighting Emmanuel. You chose Flame, which was the right choice. Someone of his strength needed to be matched by yours. But if you’d played the gallant, you’d have gone for Emmanuel and that might have proven disastrous. Besides, I don’t need you to fight this battle for me. I needed to fight it myself, on my terms. He took my power and then I took his. And now he’s dead...by my hand. As it should be.”

Slightly revisionist, since it was Mitch’s bullet that finished Emmanuel. Michael thought to himself. But that was a minor point in the scheme of things. This was much bigger to Sarah than Michael had ever realized. He looked crestfallen as the epiphany dawned. “I’m ashamed to admit I’ve completely underestimated you. This is a side of you I never knew existed. I’ve seen you fight before. Sloppy, unskilled, and that’s what I thought you were capable of. This is different. Methodical, ruthless, determined; I’m not sure whether to admire you or be terrified of you.”

“I’ll take admiration, my love.” Sarah met his eyes and smiled, breaking the tension between them. “And I’ll give you even more to admire me for. I didn’t just dig out Emmanuel’s greatest fears. I found other things inside that head of his.” She paused dramatically. “Like what those satellites are for.”

---

Sarah set up an easel with newsprint as the others gathered around Michael’s office. She began by drawing a large circle in the middle of the paper.

“As we know, over the last several years, Comcast was building a new series of six communications satellites. We know this because while the satellites were being constructed at Langley in Tidewater, certain vampires were showing inordinate interest in them, which tipped off TFV, who tipped off us, all of which eventually led, at least partially, to our relocating to Philadelphia.”

Sarah drew six dots around the circle on the newsprint in a hexagonal shape. “Those satellites have since launched and have taken up these positions in orbit over the planet, allowing Comcast to receive television and internet signal from all over the world. Great investment for a growing company. Paul, you were a Comcast employee as a mortal and your sire had you checking these satellites out in detail. Did you find anything?”

“No,” Paul answered. “And neither did he. They’re just ordinary communications satellites. State of the art, very advanced, but for a rather mundane function. To broadcast and receive cable television from around the world.”

“And that’s what everyone’s meant to think, but the parabolic dishes of each satellite are mirrored. That’s not usually necessary when receiving microwave signal, correct?”

“Not necessary at all.”

“So why was it done?” Sarah wrote the word “sun” at the top of the newsprint and then drew a line from it to the first satellite, bounced the line to a second, a third, and then to the one on the bottom of the illustration.

“Holy shit, they’re going to use it to bring sunlight around the planet from the other side of the world.” said Boar.

Paul groaned. “They stole that from that horrible Batman movie from a few years ago.”

“Regardless of its source, the idea of a sunlight cannon is terrifying. They could zap anyone of us at any time.”

“They call it the ‘light of God,’ which struck me odd for a weapon being used by a bunch of devil worshipping infernalists.” said Sarah.

“So this is how Walsh intends to kill Monroe.” mused Michael. “He’ll flood the island with sunlight in the middle of the night. Monroe goes poof! And with such a weapon at his disposal, no other vampire in the city would dare oppose him.”

“But we learned this from a Brotherhood mage.” noted Mitch. “What do they have to do with this? There’s got to be a connection of some sort.”

“Maybe the Comcast CEO is a Raven Society member.” speculated Solomon.

“Or there’s more to this than just a vampire nuking cannon.” said Rebecca. “You said the satellites are already up there, correct?”

“Correct.”

“And Monroe is still alive. As are we.”

“So Walsh is waiting to use his toy.” inferred Michael, “but why?”

“Ma’atia’to is the easy answer. It has something to do with the Brotherhood’s demon patron.” said Mitch.

“An answer with no substance or context, but technically correct.” said Sarah. “Ma’atia’to is a spirit of murder from what we know and it will hunger for murder.”

“Could the sunlight be intense enough to harm humans?” offered Paul. “Light of God and all, fire and brimstone from the sky come down to smite sinners.”

“You’ve seen the specs of the satellites. What do you think?”

Paul thought for a moment. “Probably not. Too much atmosphere to pass through. The beam would become too diffuse. At its most intense, it might blind, but certainly not burn.” He paused. “Not a human anyway.”

“But you may be onto something.” speculated Michael. “An angelic figure, a beam of light from the sky, a command to smite sinners, and a human population ripe with hysteria over Y2K and the end of the world. That’s a formula for blood in the streets.”

“An orgy of murder for a god of murder.” whistled Rebecca.

“And everybody gets what they want. Walsh gets his weapon to destroy Monroe. The Brotherhood gets their death and destruction across the city.”

“And with the Gauntlet as weak as it will be that night, that probably means Ma’atia’to manifest in the real world.” added Boar. “You want end of the world hysteria? Here’s the Beast of the fucking Apocalypse walking down Market Street!”

“This is crazy.” added Kathleen. “Do we really think this is what they’re trying to do? This sounds like something out of a bad Christian novel. All we need is the Antichrist and we’ve got the full set of tropes.”

“I’d say the same,” said Michael. “but we’re vampires and werewolves and wizards. We just fought a battle against ghosts and demonic beasts with a group of wizards for whom this stuff is VERY real. We don’t know what they’re planning. But this fits their pattern as well as anything.”

“Increases the urgency of destroying them utterly.” said Solomon. “We’ve got about six months before New Year's Eve. That helps.”

“We have a lot of work to do.”

---

Elias Walsh looked out over the city from the balcony of his haven. The red neon of the giant PSFS sign behind him gave everything an eerie glow. He heard the entrance of two people behind them, both mortals, both agitated in mood.

“I was wondering when I would receive a visit.” said Elias. “I’ve been reading the news reports. Raven Society implicated in funding international terrorism. Government agents fight horrific battle at the old Divine Lorraine. Major fire destroys the evidence. Terrible scandal.”

“All thanks to one of yours.” growled Regulus.

“His name is Michael Allens and he’s just a piss ant.”

“That piss ant put together a coalition of hunters, wolves, vampires, and wizards that killed over a dozen of our people. You underestimate him...badly.” snarled Regulus.

Elias shrugged.

“It’s past time you made use of that weapon of yours.” added Flame. “Burn the fucker where he lives.”

“You two both know why we can’t do that.” said Elias dismissively. “If the Light of God is seen before its debut, then it will no power to trick the masses. The stagecraft of what we intend on New Years Eve must be flawless. It must be believed to be something miraculous, not a mere mechanism of technology. Of course, if you don’t care about any of that and you wish to break the agreement that we made with one another....”

“No,” said Regulus firmly. “The plan goes forward. It’s what my brother wanted. It’s what Ma’atia’to wills.”

Elias was enjoying this. After playing second fiddle to Regulus for so long, it was now obvious the game had shifted. He decided to twist the knife a little. “Just try to keep a low profile, Regulus. Provoking Allens is never a smart move.”

“Are you claiming we brought this on ourselves?” Regulus growled angrily.

“Your brother did rape his woman, did he not?” said Elias with a smug grin. “And Flame, you did kidnap three of his whores? I’ve learned myself, he does hit back.”

“You are the vampire prince.”

“I do not need a reminder of my authority, mage. Unlike your conveniently dualistic political division among your people, I must juggle the disparate goals and ambitions of a half dozen or more. Allens is one piece of the puzzle, an increasingly large one, but still only one piece. I commit too much to destroy him and others will smell weakness.”

“Like Monroe.”

“Hence why this must all fall into place at once. We created a good plan, one that will give all of us everything we want. WE STICK TO THE PLAN.”

Regulus kept silence this time and Elias was satisfied he’d won this round, perhaps the first of many to come. It felt good no longer being the junior partner in this conspiracy. “As for petty revenge, there are a few things I can do to make life more difficult for Mr. Allens. I had been considering them for some time anyway. Perhaps it is time to implement a plan or two. But don’t be expecting me to squash this bug just yet. He’ll go down with the rest on Y2K.”

“And what are we to do in the meantime?” growled Flame, stepping towards Walsh aggressively clearly unsatisfied.. Regulus intervened and stopped him.

“We’re not without options, Santiago.” said Regulus, his voice urgent but hushed. “Let our peacock Prince prance about on our misfortune. There are souls to be harvested. An old spell, used judiciously, and we can rebuild something of our number.”

He snapped his fingers. A wraith materialized beside him, then solidified in the form of Dimitrius, the Raven Society butler. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Trueblood?”

Dimitrius’s visage flickered for a moment, taking on the aspect of a 17th century colonist for the briefest of moments before returning to its usual shape. “You asked for me, master?”

End of Act Three
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