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Fate: The Preface
Gaias’ Warning:
A Prophecy Fulfilled…
The Rise of the Dark Creatures Has Begun
Danyealle
(no
sex, plot)
Long after the staff had gone
home for the night Darious and Modega were still there, sitting in his office
quietly talking, waiting for the story one of the primetime news magazines was
scheduled to run. Sure, both of them had
seen many people claiming to be vampires since the age of mass media had set
in, but all the previous times it hadn’t been the genuine article, just plain,
ordinary human beings, ones who were wanting to be different and special, craving
their 15 minutes of fame or one of the disenchanted that had told the story so
many times, to others and themselves, that they truly believed they were one of
the sanguines’, as they preferred to be called.
When he first saw the ad Darious
thought nothing of it, having seen such garbage many before, dismissing it like
all the others. It wasn’t until he saw
it again a couple days before the show was scheduled to air that he took
notice. While the sensational teaser was
much the same as the others had been in the past there was something different
this time; the brief flash of the being that was professing to ‘tell all’ and
‘give proof’ that he was indeed one of the undead jogged something in his
memory and rang a few warning bells. While
the flash of his face, mostly hidden in a shadow, wasn’t enough to confirm that
he was one of the parasitic leeches that roamed the earth unnoticed by humans
and trying to stay below the radar so as not to let on they were not just a
myth, there was something about it that told him that this time, probably by
sheer stupid, blind luck some humans in the media were gifted with, they may
actually have stumbled across the genuine article. While the teaser was neutral and didn’t
profess that they were going to prove his claims were real there was enough
innuendo in it to strike Darious that they may well know he was the genuine
article and were going to prove it. The
next day his feeling was given a bit of confirmation by Modega who expressed a
similar reaction to one of the ads. Rather
than make a big to-do about it, and notify others of their kind about their
suspicions, something both he and Modega were sure all the others of their kind
on earth were well aware of, they decided to withhold judgment and watch the
show before deciding any course of action less it be just another hoax.
Having dropped business matters
not long after all the humans went home, the two demons discussed other matters,
both small and big, that were happening among their kind. Unlike what most humans would think the
subject of the human race never came into the conversation. Both these being had been on the earth long
enough to be effective at their purpose and had honed their job skills to the
point it was something they did without thought and wasn’t talked about. Much the way humans did when they got
together with friends or co-workers, he and Modega discussed what was going on
with their kind, the scandals, who was doing what, the
politics, etc, catching each other up on the latest news and gossip.
When the music started, signaling
the start of the segment and the announcers voice gave the introduction, both
of them settled back to watch. When the
picture of the being the story was based around flashed behind the lanky female
reporter who was starting to weave her tale both Darious and Modega sobered
up. This time it was real, all it took
was that first glimpse of his face on the screen to tell them that. From this night forward the world was going
to be forever changed, more than any human could ever guess, and there would be
no going back. Unknowingly, the blonde
reporter, in a quest for a story that was juicy and different, has opened
Pandora’s’ box and there would be no shutting it.
Like Darious and Modega, Dani had
heard about the story but paid no never mind to it, that kind of thing held no
interest for her at all. She hadn’t even
been curious enough to look at the ads and see if there was a possibility it
was true. Like so many other dark
creatures, over her lifetime she had run into plenty of humans who professed to
be the undead, either because of a mental illness, wishful thinking on their
part or because they had so lost themselves in a fantasy world build around a
romantic myth that living the fantasy was better than reality, so she didn’t
take any of their claims seriously. When
she did run into one of the ‘wannabes’ she was always left with the thought
that they probably wouldn’t know a real
vampire if it came up and bit them on the ass, they were so wrapped up in the
romanticized version of the Nosferatu that had been spawned in the early part
of the 21st century that they really didn’t know what it meant to be
one or what they were like. As more of
the sensational ads ran closer to the date of the story’s’ airing, several
other she-devils and some werewolves wanted to hear her thoughts on the
matter. Per her usual style she reminded
them that stunts like this were nothing new.
While she did admit that there were a few vampire clan leaders she
thought would try to pull a stunt like this, just to stir up trouble, she
thought it was probably just another human professing to be one. Either that or it was just some eager-beaver
reporter twisting some cases of odd behavior around to make a sensational story
that would get them noticed.
As more of the ads ran several of
her kind decided to gather and watch the segment together, just on the off
chance that it was real. As was their
custom, Dani was invited to join them but she turned it down, already having
made plans for that night. She didn’t
realize until then that many of them were thinking this was the genuine article
and were already discussing what would have to be done if it was true. Rather than being roped into was could easily
turn into a drama-fest, even if the story was bogus, she promised to at least
try to watch it while she was out. Her
plans for that night were a date with the leader of the Bloodshed clan, Kyber,
and they would probably be at the bar that was owned and operated by his
clan. While it was a place that catered
to humans, that was really the only way to make it solvent enough to stay open,
the clan used it as a meeting place.
Assuring them that the werewolves probably would be there in force and
would want to watch it, she would keep an eye on it to give them her
opinion. If it was the real deal all
they had to do was give her a call on her cell, she promised to carry it with
her.
Like most Thursday nights, the bar
was busy but not like it would be over the weekend. As usual, it was noisy and no one paid
particular attention close attention to her and Kyber and didn’t seem to think
they were anything other than human.
After finding a dark corner out of the line of traffic, they talked for
a bit on what was the current issues going on in their worlds before getting
down to the more ‘serious’ business that they had intended when they set up the
‘date’. To she-devils sex wasn’t a big
deal, they didn’t see it the way humans did, and it was a casual thing. Kyber, although he was a werewolf and they
were known to have a different view of sex than the she-devils, saw it much the
same way. Knowing the reputation of
she-devils, Dani in particular, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up
when they ran into each other, so he asked her out.
Gradually, as time went on they
progressed from talking to a bit of what humans called ‘making out’, a bit of
kissing and fondling at first before progressing. When the news program came on they were well
beyond that and were into what could be considered serious foreplay. As he was kissing on her neck she glanced at
the TV and froze. Pushing him away
slightly, she stared at the man being interviewed, eyes ablaze.
A dazed look on his face, he
leaned back and looked at her, puzzled, “What happened?”
Shaking her head, she pointed
towards the TV, “That stupid fucking Vaer!”
She snarled eyes locked on the TV.
Looking at the screen, he went
pale. “That IDIOT!” He snarled, clenching his hands.
“Uh huh.” Was all she could say, her temper starting to
do a slow boil.
All around the world the network
of the non-humans began to buzz as word spread about what one of the vampires
had done, a betrayal of the most sacred held of all the dark creature secrets;
the revealing that they were no myth. While
the revealing, as it quickly began to be called, was a shock the being that had
done it wasn’t a surprise. Vaer had
always been different than most. While
he wasn’t the oldest vampire, or even close to being so at a little more than
500 years old, he had always been an outcast.
While he was young by vampiric standards, he had a power that even the
older ones did not possess. That power
is the only thing that kept him alive because he, as he grew older, made many
enemies not only among the vampires but of the other creatures as well. Time and again he and his ‘clan’, a ragtag
band of outcast vampires incited the others of their kind with his radical
ideas. It was him, at the birth of the
modern information age when the networks were set up to establish communication
among the various factions, that began insisting that they should no longer
hide, but reveal themselves to humans. It
was his argument that they were far stronger, even with their smaller numbers
they could run the world better, that they should be allowed to walk among
humans and not have to hide. Of course,
it was never considered and the mere suggestion angered all. As the years went by he became more and more
radical, threatening to tell all to anyone who would listen; that he was going
to expose them all.
Five years ago, after finally
crossing the line by setting up a meeting with a big named journalist, Vaer had
vanished, seemingly off the face of the earth, without giving the
interview. One of his clan, a newborn
vampire created by Vaer himself, had broke ranks and gone to the vampire
council before the interview took place, knowing full well that if Vaer had
followed through with his plans it could mean death to the whole clan, as well
as many other vampires if humans found out they were no myth. Unlike other dark creatures, the vampires had
always been secretive about the way they handled things so it had been assumed
that they had handled the problem by finally doing away with the rogue. There had been no word from the council
denying it and no trace of Vaer since then.
Until now…
In the past Dani had bumped into
the burly Russian vampire many times so she knew who he was when his face was
shown. The sinister blue eyes and mane
of black, wiry hair set in a face that was the color of pure ivory made him
unmistakable. Unlike the younger
vampires who could very easily, during the night, blend in with humans, Vaer
couldn’t, like many of the other older ones.
While their visage was still human even to the untrained human eye there
was no mistaking this being for a living human.
As they aged their human form remained the same but they did change,
making them resemble the walking corpse that they were. Pale and unearthly, their powerful presence
unmistakable, even to humans, when they were near one. That is the reason the elder vampires stayed
away from humans as much as they could, so not to reveal what they were. Even with the imperfect color on the television
there was little doubt he was what he professed to be. In the dimly lit bar even the patrons, most
of whom had a few drinks, could see he was telling the truth.
While giving away the vampiric
secrets was bad enough, and almost assuredly signed a death warrant that he
couldn’t hide from anymore, they would hunt him until he was found, the worst
was yet to come. Once he was done airing
the dirty laundry and exposing vampiric secrets that had been closely guarded
for eons he then did the unforgivable; he exposed the other races of dark
creatures as well. Not only telling of
their presence and what they were like as opposed to all the myths that had
been a part of folk lore for generations, he named names of all the powerful
ones, exposing werewolf clan names, who was the leaders as well as how things
were done. In a testimony reminiscent of
Joseph Vallachi, the first man to expose the mafia in congressional hearings,
he told of the councils and how they were run as well as who was on them.
If Dani was angry about his
betrayal of the dark creatures it was nothing compared to what was going to
come. Once he finished explaining how
the she-devil council worked and gave out the names of all those on it he
exposed her as a she-devil assassin before moving on to tell a few of the more
colorful legends that abounded about her.
Even in the dimly lit bar Kyber could see the anger on her face and her
eyes take on the sheen dark creatures got before they shifted. Although he had heard many tales about what she
was like when angered they didn’t come close to describing it accurately. A deep, low growl emanated from her throat,
like that of a big cat giving a warning growl,
Her hands gripped the table so hard her long nails were starting to
leave gouges in the wood. But, luckily,
before it could get any worse, her cell rang and she answered, distracting
her. Quickly on the heels of hers his
began as well, effectively ending their date.
Both of them had business to now attend to, very serious business.
Once the program ended, Darious
shut the TV off and leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled under his nose,
staring at the now darkened screen. A
small tick in his cheek started beating in time with his rapid heart and he was
pale. After a moments
contemplation he looked at Modega, a deadly serious look on his face. “I think that what we’ve just seen was the
Great Lady’s warning, don’t you?”
Swallowing around the lump in his
throat, Modega nodded, then quoted, voice soft, lacking his usual firm and resolute
tone, “The sons and daughters of Yahweh and his miscreant child, the Son of the
Morning, will have free reign and lord over what is a part of me, my earth,
until their arrogance becomes so great that they start to damage that gift
faster than it can heal. I will then
give them but one warning to mend their ways and start to undo what they have
done, to help heal the wounds they have caused.
If that warning is not heeded then the age of humans as caretakers will
come to an end. When the most powerful
of my children does what has never been done before, creating purity from that
which is impure, my children, the races that split from the common ancestor
they share with man, will take their rightful place as my caretaker and will bring,
once again, a peace among all living things.
My most powerful child, the being who I put my mark upon at the moment
of their birth, the chosen one, will lead all the races and breeds to a final
peace with the gift of knowledge passed down by generations from the time of the
Ancient Ones.” Modega turned even paler
as he recited, his hands shaking slightly as he clutched a tumbler of brandy
between them. After swallowing the last
of the aromatic liquid he looked at Darious, “There is no doubt that program
was the warning. He exposed Her children to the world in a manner that, within weeks,
there will be no doubt that he told the truth.”
His voice trailed off to a whisper, eyes locked on Darious’. For the first time in many centuries, he was
frightened.
Nodding, Darious shifted around a
bit and sighed, “That means that Her Chosen One already walks the earth and
probably has for a while now. The Great
Lady will give them time to fix things, or at least make a good start at it,
but the battle lines have now been drawn and the time of the Great War is
coming if things don’t change. We both
know the arrogance of the human race well enough to realize it is doubtful they
will heed any warning and won’t do what is needed. The times come for us to do Lord Lucifer’s
bidding and prepare for what is to come.
It’s time for the humans to take sides and Lord Lucifer is going to make
sure he gets his share of them.”
Rubbing the base of his nose the
way humans did when the felt a headache or eyestrain, Modega nodded, “It’s time
for the collection to begin in earnest.”
Looking over at Darious, he asked, “Does anyone have any guesses as to
who the Chosen One is or what race they will come from? Was there any prophecy written that gives any
clues as to who they are?”
Shaking his head, Darious
replied, tone weary, “No, beyond what you recited there is no other clues.”
“Any guesses you have or others
have made point towards who it might be?”
Sighing, Darious clasped his
hands behind his neck and gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully, “Yes, I think at
one time or another all of us have tried to figure it out. All we can come up with is a best guess about
the race from some clues here and there.
But that’s all they are; guesses, nothing more. It seems we all have a theory about it and
most make some form of sense in one way or another.”
Since he had come under Darious’
wing, Modega put a great deal of trust in his judgment and reasoning skills,
more so than in others of their kind no matter how powerful. Darious had a common sense that most didn’t
and let logic rule his steps rather than his emotions and nature like so many
of their kind do. “What’s your guess
then?”
“Well, first thing you can do is
rule the vampires out. They are already
the walking dead so that leans them more towards our side than the Great
Lady’s. If you take them out of the
equation logic would say it is probably a garou. They are far more numerous than most of the
other races and, as a rule, they are far more spiritual. Many of the clans can trace their ancestry
back to the Ancient Ones and they still follow their teachings closely. While other races do still follow the ancient
teachings many of them have changed them over the centuries and, with a few
exceptions among them, have abandoned some of them along the way. All still have a few that practice the old
ways but there aren’t many of them nor do they seem to have the kind of power,
of any kind, the garou do. I think you
can eliminate the created races from the mix, like the lycanthropes and
she-devils, because they were born human.
I don’t think any of the lycanthropes ever followed the Ancient Ones
teachings; they didn’t have the organization I don’t think. Long ago there were she-devils who did but
I’m not sure about that now. There might
be one or two of them still left who do but I’m not sure if the books they once
used are even around anymore, no one has seen a trace of them for several
centuries. Add to that the fact that
none of them has ever reached the thousand year mark so one wouldn’t think they
have anyone powerful enough. Of course
this is all just guesswork and deduction on my part.”
Before they could discuss what
Darious had said, both their cell phones went off. It came as no surprise to either of them that
a meeting had been called and they were being summoned to it.
Like the demons, all factions of
the dark creatures around the world held hastily arranged meetings to try to
come up with a plan of action to deal with what had been dropped on them. Of course the Vampiric Governing Council was
besieged with demands that something be done about Vaer but they had beaten
them to the punch.
When Vaer stated at the end of
the program that what he had done, by talking about it and giving blood and
tissue samples for medical science to examine, had probably been signing his
own death warrant he was right. Within
24 hours he and his clan and been hunted down and killed, with recordings of it
sent to all dark creature councils so there would be no doubt.
But there was no way to un-ring
the bell; too much had been reveled with hard, physical evidence for it to stay
in the realm of fiction. Like it or not,
the creatures who had spent so many centuries hiding from humans could hide no
more. While the adjustment was hard and
long what most humans never heard in their insatiable quest to learn all they
could about the creatures that used to haunt their nightmares as children was
what these creatures talked about in whispers even among themselves. The Time of the Great Correction was coming
and they had to prepare.
Human history books would label
this historic event The Great Outing.
The dark creatures called it something else, Fate…
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