Chapter 7

November Fifteenth

Arthur followed his new minions down the long, deserted corridor, his mind feverishly considering his possible courses of action now that he had his freedom. Dr. Nolan was correct about one thing: if he simply escaped, he would be hunted like an animal, and, with an entire nation mobilized against him, he would inevitably be brought to bay. A return to the shadows on the fringes of society was simply not an option.

There was always the possibility of fleeing to another country. It would be too risky to take a ship or plane overseas, but he could drive south to Mexico and beyond. The idea of running, however, rankled. It had never been in his nature to avoid a fight.

After what had occurred in Pittsburgh, conflict seemed equally unattractive. He had severely underestimated both the effectiveness of humanity's response to a vampiric incursion, and just how significant an advantage that the ability to move about during the day truly was. Whatever damage he and his followers might do at night, they would be helpless while the sun was in the sky.

Perhaps, though, he just wasn't thinking on a grand enough scale. An entire nation, possibly an entire world full of nations, opposed him, but nations could be slain. As with anything else, all that you had to do was find the heart and mind and ruthlessly crush them. The more he considered it, the more the idea appealed to him. If he could reduce the great nations to anarchy and barbarism, he would have nothing to fear for centuries to come. Except Lei, of course.

By the time they had arrived at the main laboratory and volunteer barracks, he had the outline of a plan. It was risky, even desperate, but there was no other palatable choice. After he and his new followers subdued and dispatched the few lab assistants who were present, he had all twenty of his fledglings line up along the length of the large room.

He walked back and forth in front of them, searching their thoughts and memories. What he found pleased him greatly. In his experience, those who were called upon to kill their fellow man, at least those who did not succumb to combat trauma or other severe psychological disorders, reconciled their actions in one of two ways. First were those who came to think of themselves as mere agents of their cause, absolving themselves of responsibility based on the notion that they were only pawns carrying out some greater purpose. Second, were those who dehumanized their opponents, absolving themselves of guilt based on the idea that those that they killed were something less than human. Whether by coincidence or psychological screening, most of these men fell into the latter category. Now that these men were truly set above the rest of humanity, it would not take much to turn them into the ruthless, merciless killers that he needed.

They seethed with resentment and hatred towards him at the moment, but that could be changed. It would have to be. If he were to succeed in overthrowing the current regimes, he needed their loyalty. The absolute obedience compelled by the bond was useful, but it only went so far. He could not foresee every contingency or development. Unless these men were willing to act on their own initiative, in the absence of direct orders, his plan would fail.

He would have to invent a cause that these men could believe in; they would never accept his actual intent. Fortunately, the power of suggestion made it unnecessary to be particularly creative in that regard. He stood gazing at them for a few more minutes more, his mind gently and imperceptibly prodding them to accept what he was about to tell them. Under his expert manipulations, doubts receded and certain old grudges were reinforced.

Finally, he began to speak. "Gentlemen, you do not know me. My name is Arthur. It was my essence that was used to make you what you are now. Like you, I once served my nation proudly. For King and country, I fought with fist and sword on heaving wooden decks that were slippery with the blood and entrails of friend and foe alike as musket and cannon balls whizzed past my head. And what, I ask you, awaited me if I beat the odds and survived my naval career? If I was lucky, a pittance for an allowance and a room at the Greenwich Hospital for elderly and infirm sailors.

"Things have not changed. For years you have risked life and limb to protect the freedoms and serve the interests of the soft, privileged civilians of this land. You have killed for them, and have seen friends die for them. And for what?

For the next half hour, Arthur commiserated with his fledglings as a fellow soldier. He extolled upon the virtues which had been conferred upon them by his essence, setting them apart and above the rest of humanity. He commended their long, honorable service, and vilified the treatment they had received from the civilians and government of their nation based on offenses both real and imaginary. He belittled the idea that they had any further duty or obligation to their country past the service they had already given. Again and again he emphasized the tragic end that likely awaited them once the experiment had reached it's conclusion. Throughout it all, he reinforced his words with light touches on the minds of his listeners.

Arthur paused to gauge the mood of his audience. As a result of his earlier mental prodding's, nearly all were angry, and not at him. With a cold smile, he concluded

"In its current state, the world would never - could never - accept us for what we are, but we have the power to change that. I am proposing the start of a new world order. One in which vampire and human coexist peacefully, with the vampires serving as protectors and judges. While none of you have truly manifested it yet, we do gain the ability to look into the hearts and minds of people to see the truth of things. Who better than us to preside over judicial proceedings? Why have such monumental decisions as guilt or innocence decided arbitrarily by a jury of the ignorant when we can know the answer with absolute certainty? We can even know when someone intends to commit a crime, but has not yet acted on that intent.

"We deserve to live. To do so we must feed. Isn't it fitting and proper that the filth and vermin who we know are guilty of capital crimes are used to sustain us, rather than leeching away the nation's resources in a prison cell?

"Bringing about such change will not be easy. The old regimes must be torn down from the top. Have no doubt, blood will run in the streets before we are through. When all is done, though, we will have a near utopian society. A civilization that doesn't know war or corruption. A world in which crime never goes unpunished. A society in which you will play a vital and respected role for all of eternity. Is that end not worth any means?

"Now you must choose. Will you join with me, and help forge a better world, or will you stay loyal to the existing powers and be repaid for that loyalty with a stake through the heart?"

It took all of Arthur's will to keep his emotions under control when all but one of the fledglings chose to follow him. He was surprised that such jaded and cynical men could believe such nonsense, even under the influence of suggestion. Humanity would never be willing to knowingly coexist with a creature that fed upon them, and even Arthur cringed at the Orwellian idea of thought police amplified and made a reality. Then again, any port would do in a storm, and what he had told them about their ultimate fate as subjects of Dr. Nolan's experiment was very likely true.

After seeing to it that the man who had refused to join him was placed in restraints to prevent him from raising an alarm, Arthur walked alone back out into the hallway. This portion of the complex was shaped like a dumbbell, with his prison at one end and the lab at the other. The area was free of cameras. Those in charge did not want any more people than absolutely necessary knowing what took place here. At the center of the hallway connecting the two areas, another branched out. Arthur used the guard's identification card to open the door that allowed access to that area.

Unlike the research area, the hallway beyond the door was equipped with a camera every twenty feet. Arthur walked purposefully down the doorless corridor, keeping his head down to avoid any chance that those watching the cameras would recognize him for what he was. The sight of a single man in uniform, however, was apparently not a cause for alarm. After several hundred feet, the route was blocked by another door; this one guarded by several soldiers. Arthur worked them like a puppet master, forcing them to act out the charade of checking his id and passing him through. Once past the door, Arthur purged their minds of the memories of the last few minutes and moved on.

The hall on the other side of the door was only around thirty feet long and ended in a stairwell leading up. At the base of the stairs was a single door that led to the facility's security center. It had been placed deep inside the base with the expectation that any intrusion would be from the outside. A quick exercise of will unlocked the door. The two men inside barely had time to gape at him in surprise before their thick, hot blood splashed across the monitors that filled the room.

On his way back to his fledglings, Arthur paused only briefly to feed on the guards at the central door. Gathering his minions, he led them back to the stairs and up into the areas that housed the facility's garrison.

The majority of the company sized force died in their sleep at the hands and fangs of Arthur and his men. The only exceptions were close friends of his new fledglings and the commanding and executive officers. These men were, in essence, press ganged into the service of Arthur's supposed cause. If the Gift took hold in all of them and Susan, Arthur would have control over forty-three fledglings.