Gerald had woken up from his nap and was eating a sandwich when a text came through the secure app.
{I just had a unique visitor. A man just came into the Command center looking for. He had a scent trail on him that was ten times thicker than anything I have seen so far. And he was looking for you?}
{Where is he?}
{I don't know. He shouldn't have been in the Command center. I don't even know how he got in. When I checked the surveillance, everything was scrambled. On his way out I sent men to follow him, but they lost him after a few minutes.}
{What did he ask you?}
{He asked me to pass a message. He said that Jaylin East is hoping to meet you and offer his assistance. East is someone we have been trying to take down for years, but he has control of the mayor, governor and probably people even higher up. He is the richest man in the city and is suspected of running the entire underground within five hundred miles. He is dangerous and bad news. And we have never been able to lay a finger on him.}
{What do you think?}
{If I hadn't had these glasses, I would have thought that even scumbags know where to draw the line when the fate of the city lies in the balance. This guy has his own private security and I believe that there are plenty of officers in his pocket. I can't be sure that East isn't working with these monsters, but the way this guy came and went, I can't help but suspect that East is working with them too. After the racket you made today, I am guessing it is a trap.}
{Where can I find him?}
{I will send you the address, but if you get lost, simply look for the tallest building in the city. East owns it and has a penthouse on the top floor.}
{I will find it.}
{…Stay safe. You're the best hope that this city has.}
Gerald closed the secure app and began tapping on his phone.
Twenty minutes later, the military tagalongs were gathered.
"I received a tip that might lead me to the third elder. I will be heading there in a bit. Now… about your target. With one of the two elders in the restricted zone dead, the second one is probably feeling awfully nervous. Once you go in, if you find an area with a thicker degree of vampire spawn, it probably means you are going in the right direction."
"Understood." Dasher said. "We have been talking and we have some ideas about how to find and deal with the elder."
"Good. Just remember this isn't a normal mission."
"Ha, you know it." Alpha chuckled. "This is about as far from normal as it gets."
"True, but not what I mean." Gerald responded. "What I mean is that there is no point in surviving. Once the elders die, their acolytes will lose their powers and revert to spawns. It won't be fun, but the officers are capable of dealing with spawns, especially when they are unorganized." Gerald walked to a kitchen cabinet and opened it. He pulled out a small metal case and opened it to reveal four small circular objects. "A last resort and a bit of futuristic tech. Once activated they will link to your heartbeat. If your heart stops, it will blow. It can also be trigger with a mental thought if it is on your person, don't test it. If you get within three feet of an elder vampire, it will be enough."
The four each picked one up. When they did, it glowed red for a moment and then turned back into a harmless looking piece of metal that hung from a thin chain.
"This must have cost you a bit." Dasher remarked.
"A four-pack cost me a reward point."
"And then you spent another to bring them here." Said the General. "We will make sure that you didn't waste your points."
The four hung them around their necks and tucked them under their shirts.
Gerald nodded. "I would like to end this mission tonight. So… take what you need." He said while pushing on the table and opening the secret compartment again. This time the weapons were gone but there was a large amount of special ammunition and explosives. He saw them hesitate. "Don't worry about what it cost me. It is only a single point to link my ammo stores to the mission world. Modern ammo is allowed to move both ways. I have already moved several crates of ammo from this world into my storage. I got plenty of bullets and things that go boom. This stuff is just the things that I think may be able to help."
The four didn't hold back anymore and rushed to the table.
"He, he, he, this is what I am talking about."
"Oh, damn, even the military has a hard time getting a hold of these."
"Christmas has come early."
"Alpha, go grab a bag. Let's load up."
***
Gerald stood in the middle of the safe zone in front of a building that pierced through the clouds. People passed on the street with their families and dates. An old man was eating his takeout while on a stroll. A teenage couple walked a dog while holding hands.
If one were unaware, they wouldn't even know that this was in the center of a quarantine zone where hordes of vampires were feasting and enslaving the local populace.
Gerald opened the front door to the building and walked in. Private security with heavy weapons stopped him after a few steps.
"Name and identification." Asked a man while a second walked up with a tablet.
"I don't have one."
The guard snorted. "Don't give me that crap, I have heard it all. In this day and age, everyone has an I.D. even if they don't want it. If you can't provide it, just give me the serial number."
Gerald shrugged. "No, you misunderstand. I don't have a name."
The guard snorted. "Fine, if you want to be a funny guy. I will run you through the system. A debt will be attached to your I.D. number. You will have to reimburse East Winds for the cost."
Gerald shrugged again as the man with the tablet stepped forward and held it up while activating the camera. After the photo was taken, the application on the tablet began to run a search.
"I hope a thousand-dollar debt is worth the joke." The guard said.
Gerald just rocked on his heels while he waited.
*Ding*
The tablet chimed and the guards looked.
{No result found}
"See, I told you."
The man without the tablet immediately trained his rifle on Gerald and took a step back. "Who are you? Tell me now?"
Gerald shook his head. "How am I supposed to answer that when I don't have a name? Mr. East asked me to come by."
The man with the tablet tapped on it a few times. He then leaned and whispered to the other guard. "It says a man may be visiting Mr. East today or tomorrow but no name is listed."
The gun that was trained on Gerald lowered a bit. "Pat him down." He said to the man with tablet before turning to Gerald. "No weapons allowed."
"That's a problem. You aren't going to touch me." Gerald said as the man started to move towards him and stopped when he heard him reply.
The man who set down his tablet spoke. "If we don't pat you down, how will we know if you have weapons?"
"That's easy." Gerald replied. "I have lots of weapons." He then walked past the private security.
"Stop! We will shoot if you go any further."
"Shoot if you want, you won't hurt me but you both will die." Gerald said as he continued to saunter to the elevator.
The two guards hesitated; they felt a very real threat coming from his voice. They returned to the desk as Gerald pressed the button for the elevator.
"Make the call." Said the guard with his gun still pointed to Gerald.
The man with the tablet picked up the phone on the counter and dialed 1.
"Hello, this is the lobby."
"Yes, yes, I know we aren't supposed to call unless it is an emergency."
"Yes, I know."
"But-."
"Yes, I am sorry."
"Okay, we have a man here without a name who won't let us touch him. He says that Mr. East is expecting him."
"Yes, yes, thank you."
He then hung up the phone and wiped the sweet from his brow.
"What did they say?" The other man asked.
"Let him up." The guard answered as he pressed a button behind the counter.
*Ding*
The elevator doors opened.
When Gerald stepped in, a floor was already selected. Gerald smile at the guards as the door shut.
The guard lowered his gun and shivered. "I feel like we just escaped the jaws of a shark."
"Don't think about it. Let's just keep our heads down and do what we are supposed to do. Let's get through the shift and go home."
*Ding*
The elevator doors opened to reveal a sprawling room. Gerald wasn't at the top of the building, but only a few floors below. Sofas and lounge chairs rested upon a thick white carpet and surrounded a hot tub that was recessed into the floor. Men in suits with automatic weapons lined the edges of the room. Women in lace underwear sat on the couches and giggled while holding flutes of champagne. In the hot tub in the center of the room sat a man with a beauty on either arm.
One placed a grape in his mouth while the other held his drink. When the man saw Gerald step into the room he smiled. "Here he is, the man I was telling you about." He said to the ladies beside him. "Hop up." The two women stood and stepped out of the tub. The man stood and splashed water on to the carpet as he exited the tub in a speedo.
"Mr. East I presume." Gerald said.
"You know it. That's me, king of the city."
*Snap*
When East snapped his fingers, the woman with the grapes set them down and grabbed a gold silk robe and helped him into it. Then the other woman placed a glass of gin into his hand. He then pointed at Gerald.
"You know… I have heard a lot about you. An agent from Central, an unflinching character, a real badass worthy of a legend. There are all these little birds that are flying through my city. The tweet about what you have done in such a short amount of time. They say that the dogs on the line now even have some hope. That's good. Its good that they have hope. Ever since I heard about you Mr.… I don't think I caught your name."
"Just Mr. will do."
"Nah, nah, that makes us seem like stranger. I am always more personal with my friends. Since you don't have a name, I will give you one. I am such a nice guy."
"You're the nicest baby." Echoed one of the women.
"But sometimes you're a little bad." The other said with a coy smile while running a finger down his cheek.
*Slap*
He smacked her bottom with a grin. "You know me to well." He then turned back towards Gerald. "They call those from Central, spooks. So I will call you Caster. Like the ghost from those kid's movies. There, now you have a name. Come with me Caster, join me on the patio. You ladies can wait here for my return."
East turned around and walked towards the large glass doors. With his free hand, he shoved them open and stepped out into the night air.
Gerald strolled past the women without giving them a second glance. It was true that they were all capable of being super models, ten out of ten beauties, but only in this world. In world where cultivators walked to path of immortality and ascended to godhood, these ladies could only be average at best.
Gerald walked out of the room and stepped onto the patio to find himself on a roof top garden. Grass brushed the bottom of his shoes, plants and small trees blocked the railings and a small waterfall fell from the floor above and fed a small creek that went over the ledge at the end of the patio. The only thing that didn't fit the picture was the armed men who stood in the corners.
East sat at a small table in the center of the garden. "Come take a seat, join me Caster." East said while flipping open a cigar box and pulling out a stogey for himself before offer one to Gerald.
Gerald declined and took out the cheap pack of cigarettes from his pocket and placed on between his lips. He lit up his smoke as a guard used a small torch to light East's cigar.
East looked out across the sprawling cityscape and softly spoke, keeping his words private and only for Gerald. "I have enough money to buy anything. I have indulged in the world's greatest pleasures. I have dabbled in the darkest sins and I have drowned myself in bliss. I used to sit atop this city. With a wave of my hand, clouds would part." East said while turning his gaze and looking towards the top of the building for a moment before returning his eyes to the city below. "But I have been dethroned, my men are no longer my own. Return my castle to me and I will owe you a favor. A favor from East is one of the most precious things in this city. What do you say Caster, will you be my gardener and pull my weeds?"
Gerald exhaled smoke and stubbed out his cigarette in the diamond plated ashtray while looking around the patio and then looking towards the floors above.
*Ping* *Ping* *Ping* *Ping* *Ping* *Ping* *Ping* *Ping*