Chapter 56: Rachel Goes Below

May 1999

For the remainder of the time between this day and the day of the gathering of the clans, we trained hard. My shoulder was still on the mend, but it improved slowly, day by day. Anubis finished our computer model and trained us how to use it to plot our routes, which we went over each night.

Rachel had never been below, and I was sure it would shock her when she got there. I asked Tayla if she should go below, and she agreed. Therefore, we spent two days below in the Lower Estate. Tayla showed us where Leach, Moon, and other engineer familiars had installed the equipment I had incorporated into the plan. Leech assured me that the charges were set in exactly the places I had pointed out. The traps were set.

We went to the coliseum during the daylight hours, courtesy of Shock, to inspect the place while there would be no interference from the Red Velvet vampires. A secret compartment equipped with our weapons was ready. They would bring our equipment down the day before, so as not to draw attention.

I pointed out to Tayla that it was imperative that no other mortals other than the familiars who had a direct role in the preparation of the underground estate should have any knowledge of what was going on. Operational security was a priority to Tayla. There can be no chance of betrayal. Everything was going according to plan though the method of how the Jackal assassins had penetrated the Lower Estate was still a mystery.

Rachel said she felt as if she had been going to boot camp, with all the weight training she had been doing. She looked great to me. I had also toned up and built up my strength. We had been practicing our rock climbing on a wall that Dread had built. We had started to get the hang of it too. No pun intended. Our marksmanship had improved as well, even with night vision devices. We found out that we could see vampires with them, so we decided we would bring them along with us on that night.

I pondered the consequences of failure. If Rascha had his way, he would change the world forever. Moreover, with the Dragon at his side, mankind was in peril. I was thankful for the fact that God was not going to allow this to happen, blessed assurance was mine.

It was because of my faith that I was here. Who picked me? It does not matter. Tayla needed me to do something that would have a profound impact upon the world, and upon her. To leave the world as it was would be her legacy. Would Tayla really die? Could she? I really did not know. I was only thinking logically. Failure could not be an option. The price of it was too high. The burden of the responsibility was heavy indeed. I would face it, along with my wife, to do what we knew must be done, come hell or high water. It was almost time to step up to the plate, as the first pitch was about to be thrown.

Only a few weeks remained before the big event. I was so jumpy and nervous that I felt like Gary Cooper in “High Noon.” Rachel was nervous, but she dealt with it well. Whenever she felt like she could not go through with it, she walked down the hall and checked on the twins, sleeping in their beds. The sight of our twins kept her focused. As for me, I prayed a lot. That is what kept me focused. I prayed not just for myself, but for all that was at stake, which I felt was everything. It was comforting to know that my angelic friends were about, although they had not manifested themselves to me in quite some time.

By this time, my shoulder had healed quiet well, considering I had not spent one day in a hospital. I had received excellent medical treatment, and a surprisingly good regimen of therapy to recover.