Castle Rise Hotel, Bower City, UAC
6 months before
***
The serenity of the night crept throughout the sophistication of the Castle Rise Penthouse. The night achieved long years of peace, giving comfort to every constituent of Bower City and its neighboring allies. But this peacefulness that the night carried hung in a balance, so delicate that a small spark would topple everything into chaos.
The UAC had endured wars from rebel countries for about a decade and they were successful. The Confederation suffered a great loss but with the help of allied countries, they rebuilt and renewed their strength and economic stability.
They had achieved peace as Intercontinental Peace treaties were signed and agreed upon among National Leaders. But a treaty was only on paper and Peace was not ready for another test of military conflict.
***
United Alliance Confederation (UAC) Defense Secretary Henry Wallace was soundly sleeping, all naked, under his bedsheets. With him was a high-class escort girl curled, snoring, at an arm spread from the Secretary's hairy body.
The phone rang loudly and irked the Secretary but not the hooker. He hauled himself from an exhausted slumber. He had quite the activity which led to consuming every wisp of energy in his body.
Obliged, cursed under his breath, he reached out for the phone and pressed the loudspeaker feature. A deep voice sprang authoritatively.
"Secretary Henry, this is James. I know it's late. But I have news for you."
The Secretary glanced at his wristwatch and it was 11:00 pm. "Commander, why are you calling this time of night? Do you not sleep?" He answered with a hint of irritation. He knew how the Commander operates and let no waking moment lag the latter's momentum.
"You know I can't sleep if urgent matters are at my table, Mr. Secretary. My trusted agents provided me with intel on Mt. Elberus. I believe you have an interest in the said area. Maybe oil, perhaps."
The other end of the phone had to be direct knowing the disturbance he had caused, and people with their positions tend to go straight to the point.
The Defense Secretary jerked gently at hearing what was supposed to be a hidden political agenda. He glanced back to the hooker but she was dead asleep. Her long wavy hair scattered beautifully to the expanse of the king-size bed. Her aroma pleasured still in the Secretary's nostrils.
Such conversations should be discreetly discussed, Henry thought. Fortunately, no another set of ears that could disclose such conversation. He was now cautious, normally, for this conversation may lead to very sensitive confidential information, and probably may expose his illegal exploits in Mt. Elberus. Probably would jeopardize his exemplary reputation to the public.
"How did you know?" The Secretary asked.
"Well, Mr. Secretary, you know that I am the head of your covert division and this is what I do. Collect information and use them to my advantage."
"You are a cunning bastard, aren't you, Commander?!" His voice raised. "You are using your advantage to Blackmail me, Commander! Don't you ever think of..." The Secretary whispered angrily but was suddenly stopped as the Commander interjected.
"It is not what you think. We are actually on the same side and I can give you what you want." The Commander responded, calmly.
"What is your plan?" Henry's voice subsided after deep breaths, "The Confederation preserves these forests and especially the local tribes living in that area. I cannot pursue my interests there if not to relocate all these tribes. And it would be impossible. They are hard-headed and they do not listen to the Confederation. Furthermore, these annoying Environmental activists and NGOs are pretty strong in their pursuit of Forest preservation."
"I anticipated your response, Mr. Secretary. I want to make a deal. I need a bigger slice of that pie, 33 Billion dollars perhaps. I will set up a base camp there covertly and I will take care of the local tribes."
"Are you talking about budget? 33 Billion? Are you out of your mind!?" The Secretary retorted. His irritation seared upon hearing the proposal.
"Yes, 33 Billion. I know you can allocate the Defense Budget with that kind of amount, easily. Do this for me and I will provide you the oil you wanted so much." James responded.
"First of all, what is in it for you?" Henry asked.
"Human greed is unfulfilling. You can never satisfy it within our given lifetime, Mr. Secretary" James replied after an awkward silence.
"Cut to the chase, will yah?" Henry interjected.
"Believe me or not, Immortality is what I am after." The Commander continued.
"What are you talking about, Commander? Immortality? There is no such thing!" He snapped.
"I have the best doctors under my employ and they said it is possible. The ingredient that I need and everything is on that Mountain, Mr. Secretary. Do you know Consolacion village, one of the largest tribes there? They are considered the capital of the surrounding tribes on that Mountain. I have solid intel that the villagers there are immortals."
"C'mon, James. It is not the time to kid around. How did you confirm this? For me, it is just another bedtime story that we tell the children before they sleep."
"You want evidence? Here it is." Henry heard a digitized keypad sprang softly from the other line.
The Secretary's phone suddenly lit up, it was a picture sent from the Commander. Henry's eyes were wide with disbelief at what he saw as he opened it.
The picture was dark with light green and dark combinations. Seemingly, captured by a night vision camera. They widely used these in covert missions to monitor rebel camps. In it was an unidentified creature standing in between trees and tall grass. It had glaring eyes, tall limbs, long claws, and sharp teeth. It was like a Grendel, a mythical creature, that used to be one of the characters of fictional stories.
The Commander said, "That picture I sent is one of the villagers. They are immortal but the side effects are hunger for fresh meat and blood. A hideous creature transformation is what concerns me." James paused.
Henry had his spine tingled upon zooming in the hideous face of the creature. He knew the picture was legitimate as he knew the reputation of the commander. The ancient stories were true, and made him gooseflesh upon imagining the possibilities of their existence.
"That's all I can give you for now," He continued. "but I know these are not humans anymore and they need to be eliminated. This poses a threat to the general welfare, Mr. Secretary. Going public with this one is unwise. This must be just between us. Otherwise, our pursuits will be revealed. We don't want to invite more hostility into our agendas now, do we?"
Secretary Henry was still skeptical for a moment but the Commander's reputation precedes him. He would never present information, intel, or data that are half-baked or not supported by solid evidence.
The Secretary was cautious, still. He did not trust anyone that easily. He had to think this through at least a few long nights. Allocating the budget was just in the mercy of the tip of his pen but it would risk Audit agencies prying on liquidations. He had been doing this for minor projects in the City, money out from the Confederation and into his pockets, but those were easily justifiable.
"What's your game plan, Commander? The Blackwolf should move discreetly on this. If those monsters exist as you say, we must tread carefully and revise on how we operate. This is new to us, James. This should be done quickly and fast. Even your men, are they up to this and believe that these creatures exist? Are they willing to kill everyone in that village?"
"Let me handle my boys. I have a few men that know the real situation but other agents are very delicate and sensitive to compromise. For now, after this conversation, Consolacion is a rebel stronghold that had been fortifying their numbers to attack again our great City."
A great sigh escaped Henry. He unclenched his grip from the sheets.
"I will think this through, James. Let us talk tomorrow here in my penthouse. We are in this sh*t show and this conversation did not happen, James. You know the drill."
There was silence at the other end of the line. It was a silent yes.