January 7th, 2058
Ixtapa, Mexico
Not all jobs were difficult, some like this one required very little from Jacob. His team was deployed in Mexico. It wasn't a paying job, it was being done as a public service. The CEO of an American company was traveling to a resort town, not on business, but one of a personal nature. Jacob had little to do on this operation but what was, didn't please him much. As the most junior on the team, he was tasked with the dirty part.
His elders on the team had already done the more interesting parts. Doing so for Grey vampires wasn't difficult. They could walk unseen and be where others couldn't. It wasn't just a parlor trick it was far more. The call of being a Grey was something personal and not something shared with outsiders. That call was a drive and a curse at the same time. For Grey it drove them to do things others would consider improper, deviant even. One of the reasons why they spent years in the Agoge was to hone that desire into disciplined action. Grey could not deny their call any more than Aqua could deny theirs to build families. But Grey could hone that call into something constructive and honorable. Still, it required much from each Grey, a moral fiber and strength that was uncommon among humans.
Jacob paused in the hallway looking for the obvious. The CEO in question had another protection team, hired by his company. They were decent, and one of them was trying. Getting by the watchers was simple for a vampire who could disappear and walk beside someone unseen. It was revealing yourself when the real excitement began. Watching the movements and the eyes Jacob timed his movements well. When the careless man hired to the CEO's team left the door open, he moved quickly. Entering and pausing in an open space he watched to see if his movements had been detected. A moment later it was clear it hadn't been. Like all grey the excitement and pleasure he derived at this moment was intense. He was doing his job, but he was also feeding the Grey desire to hide and stalk their prey. He could taste their compliancy and it was delicious. Soon he would reach his target and he had no doubts what the outcome would be. The CEO would die, that had been ordered. But reaching him still had one last hurdle.
The CEO had come here to enjoy his desires, even now he could hear his latest conquest making sounds in the bedroom. From the sounds of it he was in to the rougher side of sex. Jacob wasn't a prude, he wasn't like his father or his older brother. If this guy wanted to get his rocks off by wearing leather and being rough, what did he care? What did bother Jacob was the age of this pig's unwilling partner. That did piss him off, as it had one of the CEO's team. That guy had a family and a conscience that railed at him helping this dirt bag. The guy in question was assigned inside the room itself. He was the most senior and was most experienced. So, he was closest to the target than any of the other team. This man, new to the CEO's detail had his orders and they were not to his liking. Still cloaked and unseeable Jacob calmed himself for what was to come. As soon as he spoke he would be revealing his position and risking his own life.
"Do you enjoy protecting a monster Rick?"
A millisecond after saying the last word he was already on the move. Using all the skill and ability he could muster to move in silence. Shifting from where he was standing to another spot, still in Rick's blind spot and in a position to kill him if need be. Rick spun around too late seeing nothing and drawing his weapon. Now came the dance of life and death, and either Rick would listen, or he would die. Just so long as he didn't was all Jacob cared about.
"You can't you know….. protect him."
Rick's eyes were wide, searching for the speaker. Unsure what to do Rick made a move to his protectee and then thought better of it shifting back to this unseen threat. Jacob was still shifting moving in silence. His vampiric ability allowed him to be silent and unseen. But it had limits, if Rick started shooting where he was, it wouldn't matter how skilled he was. He would be a dead vampire, skills or no. Cursing under his own breath he hated father for demanding this.
"Lay down your weapon Rick, it's the only way you will see Jeanie again."
Jacob froze, the weapon tracked faster this time and zeroed in on his chest. Even if he moved now Rick would likely see the shimmer and know he was there. This dance was too dangerous and he hated his father for making him dance it. But when Rick demanded to know whom spoke Jacob decided to oblige. He unshielded himself allowing Rick to see him. His eyes were wide and he was breathing rapidly. The Glock now unsteady began to shift, causing him to bring his other hand up to steady it. As if his courage had returned he asked how in hell he had done that.
"Does it matter, you have a choice to make Rick. The man you protect is going to die today. The only question is are you?"
Rick was quick to point out that he had Jacob dead to rights. He did, but Jacob wasn't alone, he might die if Rick acted, but it would be the last thing he did.
"I am not alone Rick, if you so much as twitch your finger you will be dead before you can realize it. The only reason you aren't dead now, is that we want to ask you a question. Why serve such a man? Why pledge your sword to a monster?"
Rick smirked for a second before thinking differently. He was taking seriously what Jacob had told him about others. He should. Three of his brothers had him surrounded even now. After a moment or two of uncomfortable silence, Rick responded. Still holding the weapon directly at Jacob.
"It's a living, too old to learn anything else I guess. Besides I didn't know the fuck was into this kind of thing. Look I don't like the man, but I can't let you kill him. I have a family to support and if I let the sick fuck die, then it's my head."
Mom's intelligence on Rick was spot on, everything she had said about him was accurate. Thank goodness because he was risking his life on it. Now came the sales pitch, and hopefully a happy ending.
"The only choice you have right this second Rick is to live or die. Your protectee is going to die today, no matter what. Don't sacrifice your life for that scumbag. I promise you we aren't here to kill you, just your boss."
Rick hesitated and asked again what in hell was going on. How did he just appear out of nowhere. Jacob just grinned and responded the only way he could.
"I would be happy to show you just who we really are Rick. But that means putting down that weapon and following my brothers outside."
At that moment two of his fellow Grey unmasked both on either side of him. Each had their weapons drawn and that finally put the fight out of Rick. He handed the weapon to the one closest to him. And with a look of anger at being defeated walked out of the room with the other Grey. With the final hurdle out of the way Rick was quickly escorted out of the hotel. The bodies of the rest of Rick's team were quietly placed in the room as Jacob's team leader and another vampire entered the bedroom. The young girl only 14 was quickly separated from the target and given to Jacob. With that Jacob using every smile and soft word he could tried to comfort the girl while simultaneously moving her to the transport. They had to get her and Rick out of here as quickly as possible. Killing the CEO and dealing with the aftermath would be the responsibility for the rest of the team. Jacob and a few of his other brothers got the girl and Rick into the vehicle and sped off to the small airport where they had transport out of Mexico.
As soon as they were far enough away the girl became upset and began to become emotionally unstable. They were ready for this and administered a drug to help calm her. That didn't do much to help calm Rick, but even he saw now wasn't the time for questions. By the time they got to the airport the girl was a wreck but manageable. Rick however wasn't going to get on an aircraft without some answers. As Jacob watched the girl helped into the plane he turned to Rick to give him the answers he sought.
"Rick I have read your file, you were a good soldier in your youth. We aren't much different than some of the groups you worked with in Taiwan back in the day. The kind of work we do is black in nature. If you really want to know who and what we are, then you can board the plane and find out. Or you can stay and go your own way."
Rick huffed at that, he knew what would happen if he stayed. Having an American CEO die on Mexican soil was bad for business. Scapegoats would be sought, and Rick would be a damned easy one for everyone to pick on. If he stayed he would either end up in a Mexican jail, or unemployable back home. Rick was blunt about the choice, and what he thought of it.
"Yeah it sucks but I didn't ask you to watch the fuck now did I? Look, my employer thinks you have what it takes to be a part of our organization. But it isn't for everyone. And to be blunt Rick staying here is probably a hell of a lot safter than working with us."
Rick cursed and took a few steps away from the plane thinking about the shit sandwich he had been offered. Once he calmed down a bit he asked why staying was safer, just what kind of work did they do.
"It's not the work Rick, when you join my organization it's for life. You won't ever be able to go back to your old world. And not everyone who joins us survives the training. But its honest work, and you will have brothers you can trust, always beside you. As for your family, once you are done training they can join you. My company can deal with all the fallout and clear your name. But I won't shit you Rick, there is no going back once you get on this plane. No second thoughts, and no exit ramps if you change your mind. You walk on that plane and you will be one of us for life. No matter how long or short that is."
Rick looked at him searchingly and laughed. Pointing out that Jacob was just a child. That upset Jacob but he knew old farts like Rick didn't respect men like him. But seeing the serious look on his face and considering his fate he asked about the girl.
"She is an American Rick, she was trafficked out of the US for sex work two years ago. She is going back to Minneapolis where she had family waiting on her. God knows she is going to need a lot of help but thankfully that isn't our line of work. Rick our mission today was to get her home, but not just that. My boss feels like you would be a good fit for our organization. I promise you the kind of work has far more honor than your current profession. You are going to be able to sleep at night, and if your record is to be believed, well you will find working with us to be an eye opener."
Rick then with a more serious face asked about the rest of his team. Jacob knew Rick had only joined the CEO on this trip, so he likely had zero ties to those guys. Still there was a danger here, but Jacob knew Rick would have to prove himself before the really told him the full truth behind what his company really was. By then Rick would either be one of them, or filling his grave.
"Their dead Rick, they weren't the kind of men we could trust and they also didn't have any problems with what their employer was up to. So, if you are looking for me to be sorry about it, don't expect it."
Jacob was watching Rick think and ponder his options. It was a big ask, trusting someone that threated to kill him moments before. But in life sometimes you had to make quick decisions. In truth Jacob had lied, Rick only had one real choice. To live and board the plane, or stay and die. The Mexicans would never let Rick leave after today. It was a crappy choice but Jacob knew what he would choose. Ten minutes later Rick was bucked into one the seats looking around the cabin at the men who were still on edge. But he had decided and Jacob was glad for it. Jacob had accomplished the mission and that would be another sign of his competence.
As the remainder of the team caught up and boarded the plane Jacob saw the team leader pause near the flight cabin talking to the pilot and the radioman. Whatever was going on caused his eyes to dart back to Jacob. That was never a good sign. A moment later he walked back into the main cabin to get the teams attention and stopped right in front of Jacob.
"We just got word, we are being recalled. Seems that Malcom is missing. Your father wants us to muster for immediate deployment."
As the leader went about the cabin giving orders and prepping the rest of the team for a new operation, Jacob found himself focusing on thoughts of his brother and wondering what trouble he had gotten into. The look from the boss told Jacob whatever it was that his brothers would not let this stand. That more than anything gave him peace, if anyone could help Malcom it was his brothers. Both in blood and in service.
January 8th, 2058 – Meridian Airspace
Travis looked out the window of the State Department aircraft, wondering again what awaited them in Sao Paulo. From time to time, he would turn on the small device imbedded in his glasses. It would project a heads up display directly into his vision. It sent a coded feed to Travis on the status of Moonstone's teams. The one that had his attention right now was Epsilon. Three days ago, they had been scheduled to leave Sao Paulo. They were the advance team for this trip. For weeks Epsilon had reported nothing that had been noteworthy. But as the team was leaving, something had gone wrong. One member of the team had witnessed hooded men caring one of their number, unconscious from the safehouse. That person was confirmed to be the team leader, which was Travis's eldest son from Yelina.
"Why are you so sure it's safe, if someone is missing don't you think that hints there is trouble? Even I know that it does! Come on, let's go back."
The scared weasel spoke nearly breathlessly. Travis tried to imagine how this dork would react to real danger. Probably piss himself if someone so much as looked at him in anger. It was far too easy to find this man intolerable. He would have to watch his temper and emotions around him. The man in question was the junior state department rep chosen for this meeting. He was from the west coast and the opposite political party of the one in charge. Which meant the administration didn't mind it if he wound up dead. In some ways it would be preferable than having him return. The US would have a weapon to use in the world's media against Meridia, and it would be an easy propaganda victory at that. All on the back of someone they didn't like, a surefire trade if Travis ever saw one. The weasel knew it too, which was why he was trying to get Travis to pull the plug and turn around.
"We lost contact with him, that doesn't mean he is missing. Mr. Tostig I assure you that my team is ready, if it wasn't safe I wouldn't let you go. Not to mention, the man in question is my son. If I thought he was in real trouble do you think I would risk your life?"
The sour expression on Tostig's face showed how little he trusted Travis or his PMC. Thankfully Moonstone had more than shown its ability over the last decade. Even if this drone died, Travis suspected it wouldn't affect his contract. Travis got up getting Tostig a drink and one for himself. Tostig needed liquid courage so his drink had very little water in it. But for Travis he needed his mind razor sharp. Unlike what he had just told this troll, San Paulo was not some place they should be going. Having not one but two of his people missing would normally cause him to pull the plug in a heartbeat. Thankfully Tostig didn't know about the second man. It wasn't a lie per say, they had found some evidence of premeditation in the bank accounts of Jason the new communication man. And it was clear in retrospect that his behavior was questionable. Right now, Jason's friends and family were being questioned, one of them had already hinted that Jason was acting strangely right before he left. If Travis had to guess his son was a hostage and Jason was a willing participant. At least he hoped he was a hostage. Jason could have just killed him and dumped the body. But why, and more importantly what did Jason get to betray his people? There would be hell to pay for someone, that was for sure. Six months before Jason had been excited for the opportunity. But the way he had handled communications it was clear Jason was not on the up and up. There were some signs that Jason was feeding the Meridians intel.
Once it was clear things had gone wrong, Travis had ordered both his aviation team and his assault team to Guarulhos. It was the International Airport inside Sao Paulo itself. They were given access to a military hanger just off the flight line. If things went badly Travis would lean on his best fighters. If need be the aviation group could insert his fighters anywhere in the city. Giving them unfettered access seemed to indicate the Meridians were not a threat. For now, at least, but who knew if that was real. He told Tostig none of this, only assuring him he had good people ready to support him.
Along with those teams he had sent Eta, a protection team to the local American consulate. They would bolster the marines on duty there. Between the airport and their destination were three recon teams watching for signs of an ambush. On top of that, another assault team was in a safehouse in Sao Paulo, in case they got useful intel. If there had been time he would have assigned his infiltrator teams to go looking for him but that wasn't possible. Pulling the additional teams had been hard enough as it was. Right now, nearly all of Moonstone was in or heading to, Sao Paulo. That alone was enough cause for Travis to be here. Besides that, he wanted to know what had happened to his son. In a real tangible way Moonstone's real mission today was to retrieve his son. The state department be damned, frankly the moment the plane touched down in Sao Paulo, Tostig would have done his job. No, Moonstone was here to bring Malcom back.
This weasel was only here to test the sincerity of the Meridian government. The real talks would happen later in the year and certainly not in Merdia. Someplace neutral and considered safe for both sides. Probably somewhere in Western Europe Travis guessed. This weasel was really only here to find out just how real these talks were to be. Meridia had hinted it would be in the US's interest. Thus, the Wilkenson's administration keen willingness to play ball. Merdia was a flash point for conflict, and seen as a possible future near peer. The US couldn't afford to have another power the size and strength of Canada as an enemy in the same hemisphere. More importantly the US wanted to dissuade the Merdian's from going after more countries. It was already bad enough they had swallowed two major US allies in the region.
Travis was about to sit down when he heard a near inaudible beep. It was his glasses letting him know there was an update. As soon as he read it he sighed, his son had called the consulate saying he was on his way. He hadn't left any codewords so it didn't completely reassure Travis, but it was a good sign. He let Tostig know that his missing person may have been found. In the meantime he read the assessment Dolly had put on the feed. Dolly and Travis had a tight relationship and he trusted her implicitly. While no longer husband and wife they shared much. Dolly's short but encouraging notes on hearing the call, stated she believed it was authentic. Besides being his ex-wife Dolly also ran the most successful intelligence operation in the clan. She may have a small organization but they were capable. That was enough for Travis to allow himself to put aside his fatherly worries and focus on the mission. Thankfully he didn't have a responsibility here, his teams all were well led and didn't need Travis to tell them what to do. He would focus on keeping Tostig from bugging his teams and deflect his useless comments.
Two hours later they had landed safely and were in the vehicles without incident. They easily avoided one planned protest and were inside the consulate's secure perimeter. He was tempted to grandstand and tell Tostig "I told you so" but that tempted fate too much. For Travis he wouldn't feel good again until he had his son, and yes even Tostig back on the plane and over US territory. As it was they entered the facility without incident. Once on the 5th floor Travis and Tostig met the US ambassador to Meridia and the local consul. They were here only to support and advise. In reality they were both senior to Tostig and far better equipped to handle the advisor to President Silva. Whoever it was, they were on their way and could be expected to arrive in a few minutes. Seeing the diplomats begin to prepare Tostig, Travis turned his attention back to his intel. There were several possibilities who this advisor was. Travis wanted to memorize as much as he could before the man arrived.
That was when Travis heard Tostig rant and rave over something said. Travis wasn't paying attention; he had his mind poring through the intelligence Dolly had gathered for this meeting. Hearing all the commotion he tuned back into the conversation, learning that Tostig was upset over pronouns of their expected guest. The ambassador didn't know them and Tostig was furious no one had bothered to discover them. What an idiot, they didn't have a clue who was coming in the first place. It could be any number of men or women close to the Meridian president. Probably a man, considering the nature of Meridia. The consul shot Travis a look of incredulity over what Tostig was upset about. The days of hyper focusing on pronouns was very 2020's. But Tostig was an academic and far left wing. Some in those circles still believed in all that. Travis just smiled and put a hand on Tostig. He put a tiny bit of strength on the arm and pulled him aside.
Using a tiny bit of force on a man like Tostig was a surefire way to either piss him off or cow him. It went about the way Travis expected. Travis explained himself saying that his guest was on the way and he needed to review what would happen next. That got Tostig out from verbally assaulting their hosts and allowed the ambassador to quietly step out of the room. A few minutes later came word from his team downstairs. Travis now had the identity of the Meridian who was arriving. It was Luiz Montero, a military advisor to President Silva. With him were several others, one of which had his team audibly upset. With everyone speaking at once on the channel it angered Travis. He used his master switch to cut in to everyone's mic and ordered everyone to be quiet. A second later Malcom's younger brother Jacob quickly spoke directly to his dad. Jacob was a part of the protection team he had assigned to the consulate.
"Dad Malcom is with them, he looks ok. But dad that isn't what has all of us excited. There is a woman with them, and she has the most striking eyes you have ever seen."
Their coms were not exactly secure so Travis had to assume that meant there was a vampire among the Meridians. Travis acknowledged the transmission and then heard a description of the woman. Young, probably early 20's brown hair. He pulled up the small tablet he had with Dolly's intel. Dolly had identified one woman of note to watch for. To Dolly this was the person most likely to arrive, as Dolly felt she was the real power behind the Meridian President. It was rumored what this woman desired became reality. Her name was Rose, and looking at the image she didn't look anything remarkable. But Rose was one of the suspected lovers for the Meridian President, which mean she had his ear and had power. Officially she was a low-level member of his staff. Rose didn't look like she was in her 20's. This vampire was probably a ruby, someone working for the Meridians, so Dolly was likely wrong. Rose wasn't the one the Meridians sent.
A few minutes later and the representative of the Meridian president arrived on the floor. The pretty girl was indeed walking behind him but she wasn't ruby…. She was a Grey. And if that didn't blow him away, looking at Montero did. He too was a grey vampire. Montero smirked at Travis as he walked by. He had to know he was here because there wasn't an ounce of shock on Montero's face. Travis quietly spoke into his mic for a status report. All stations reported fine, but Travis sure didn't feel it.
Introductions were given and Montero spoke quietly with Tostig. Security had been followed and everything was it as it should be, such as it was. The remainder of the Meridians were cooling their heels just outside the office as Tostig led Montero in and closed the door. There wasn't any seating for the staff Montero brought. As far as they knew the man was only brining security, not his full staff. A few minutes later and one of the consulate staff brought out some chairs. Travis tried not to stare but it was hard not to. The girl was a vampire, a grey no less. He had expected it to be a ruby, they were all over the globe. But NEVER had Travis seen a Grey not from Medford. He knew every member of his clan, and this woman wasn't one of them. Still, he couldn't just walk up to her and ask how long she had been a vampire.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity a small group got off the elevator and escorted Malcom up to him. It was about flipping time. He had a lot of questions, but now wasn't the time to ask them. Malcom walked up and started talking, mostly apologizing for what happened. Travis cut him off, now wasn't the time to be dad. Travis had to be his boss first, and then later, much later, he could talk to him like a son again. Travis wanted to know about his teammate.
"He set us up dad, he is working for our Meridian cousins now."
Travis smirked at his son's choice of cover. He was hinting that the local Grey vampires had co-opted him into working for them. He was about to start to apologize again when Travis cut him off.
"There will be time to talk about all that later. Right now, I need to know if there are any treats to our mission I don't know about? Do our cousins pose a threat to us?"
Malcom shook his head no but looked over at the grey vampire sitting not far from them. She was smiling and looking directly at Travis.
"I want you to go down to Vic and have him drive you back to the airport. Someone from team Mu will get you out of the country."
Malcom started to protest but he was here illegally. If the Meridians hadn't already protested his presence in the country they would soon. Malcom didn't want to leave like that, with so much unsaid. But there wasn't time, seeing his son frustrated and upset it caused him to break his cool façade. He put a hand on him and put more warmth into his face. No words were spoken but Malcom got the message. His father cared, but now wasn't the time. Before Malcom could leave however Travis smelled the scent of lilacs from behind him.
"Malcom you really should introduce us. Is this who I think it is?"