Detskoye Porno - 1. Act I

“Góðan daginn.”

“Good morning to you also, Uncle Litrik.”

“Draak? It’s good to hear your voice, nephew. It’s been a while since we’ve talked; emails are nice but hearing a voice is so much better. How are you adjusting to your new assignment at Brunssum?”

“It’s going well, Uncle. The Joint Force Command is a great opportunity to learn, and meet people who I’ll deal with for a long time. After my tour ends and I return to the Dutch Air Force, the experience will help me advance in the ranks.”

“I’m surprised you’d call me in the middle of the day on a Monday. To what do I owe the honor?”

“Not very good news, I’m afraid. Over the weekend, I read a confidential NATO report that affects out family. It’s not classified, but it’s also not meant for the general public. Two weeks ago, the body of a young boy was found floating in a canal in Amsterdam. He was strangled to death. There was evidence of physical abuse, including traces of semen in his rectum. Analysis of the DNA determined it was from at least half a dozen men.”

“That’s horrible! How can anyone derive any sort of satisfaction from abusing a child? I’m quite aware it takes place, but still… Hearing about it causes me to question how civilized humans really are. I hope the culprits are found and punished. You said this affects our family?”

“Yes, I did. The child has not been identified, but I recognized the Draco birthmark in the boy’s photographs included in the file. The constellation was clearly visible on his left shoulder. I’m certain it’s the body of my Estonian cousin who disappeared two years ago.”

“Motherfuckers! You tell me everything you know. We’re going to find the people who did this to the boy. When we do, I’ll personally rip them to shreds, and enjoy listening to them scream as I watch them slowly bleed to death. Do the authorities have any leads?”

“Yes they do, Uncle. But it’s all being kept quiet for now. NATO and INTERPOL became involved when evidence surfaced of a large criminal group being involved. There are signs the culprits have ties to the Russian government, and a connection to Putin is being looked into.”

“It never ceases to amaze me how such a great nation as Russia, can produce so many bullies and thugs. Can you email me a copy of the file? Or would you get in trouble for doing so? I want to think about what we can do.”

“I already sent it to your private email address. I used the family’s encoding protocol. Once you review it and come up with a plan, let me know how I can help avenge the death of my young cousin. I feel the same way you do concerning the people responsible for his death.”

“The file Draak sent me was one of the most nauseating things I’ve ever been exposed to. The photographs showed a rail thin boy with longish blonde hair and bruises all over his body. The narrative accompanying the images made my stomach lurch and my eyes fill with tears. I had met the boy a few months before his disappearance. I recalled bright eyes and a loud laugh as he ran around his parents’ apartment in Tallinn. Our tightly knit but widely dispersed family had looked for the boy incessantly when he went missing during a family holiday in Saint Petersburg. No traces of him were ever found, until now.

“The angry red marks along his back, buttocks, and legs spoke of repeated lashings. Yhe cigar burns over his genitals spoke of sadistic monsters who I would be happy to burn alive. I chose to push the images of the broken body as far down in my consciousness as possible, and concentrated on memories of the once happy child. A child without his dragon powers since he had not yet reached puberty.

“Sixty-five million years ago an extinction level event destroyed most life on planet Earth. Out of the holocaust a few species arose, evolved, and thrived―mine amongst them. We became exceptional in many ways, but were limited in our reproductive capabilities. That which made us powerful: strong bodies, the ability to shift between forms, flight capability, and the power to generate flames at will also restricted our mating. Blinded by lust we often injured ourselves or our partners in the throes of passion. Each dragonet born was treasured by us all.

As dragons, we enjoyed exceptional longevity but our numbers were not large. The two remaining branches of our kind, one in Asia and one in Europe, kept a low profile and functioned as humans as much as possible. In difficult times, however, we did not shy away from a fight, and used our powers to gain any possible advantage.

“The history of our race, and the mystery surrounding the body found in the Netherlands, occupied my thoughts as I soared over the North Atlantic on my way from Reykjavik to Halifax, Nova Scotia. My call to the chief executive officer of Trident Enterprises had gained me a meeting with the man. Vasilikós Delfíni Allásso̱n agreed to meet with me after I revealed my awareness of his recent encounter with Vlad Tepes. A very surprised but calm man invited me to lunch and offered to send his jet for me. I accepted the meal but refused the plane. I needed to be alone with my thoughts for a while and the nearly thirty-five hundred kilometers between our homes would provide me close to eight hours of solitude.”

“Mr. Allásso̱n, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Your agreeing to see me on such short notice is truly appreciated.”

“It’s good to meet you, Captain Dreki. Please call me Vasili. I must admit your call intrigued me and alarmed me. Your knowledge of my people’s nature came as a surprise. Your request for assistance could not be ignored after reviewing the information you forwarded. My sincere condolences on the death of your nephew. His disappearance, abuse, and murder are not something I’ll easily forget.”

“Thank you, Vasili. My family appreciates your willingness to listen to us, and we hope you will agree to assist us. And please, Captain Litrik Dreki is an officer in the Icelandic Coast Guard. I’m not here in that capacity. I’m here as a private citizen and ask you call me Litrik as my friends do.”

“You’re a man full of surprises, Litrik. Your awareness of the incident involving Vermillion Industries and Prince Tepes[1] was quite a shock. My associates and I felt we camouflaged the true nature of the incident from discovery by outsiders―we failed to account for the possibility of Dragons being around. Your revelations led to quite a bit of research by my pod’s chief analyst. He found plenty of references to your kind in ancient records before the sinking of Atlantis, but not many since that time.”

“We chose anonymity a long time ago. It’s the way we avoid the dangers of being a magical creature in a world dominated by humans. Man’s fear of what it doesn’t understand has resulted in annihilation one too many times. Long ago, we decided not to interfere with humans. To instead concentrate on the wellbeing of our families. Today, we find ourselves unable to stand aside and permit the atrocities visited upon one of our own to be repeated on anyone else. This time we must take action, and we need help.”

“I understand, Litrik. After looking through those documents you sent, as Alpha for the pod, I decided we would provide assistance as you’ve requested. I did consult my inner circle, something I do whenever there’s potential danger to any of us. All the members agreed with my decision. Our Delta, Genni Thallassio, and his husband and fellow enforcer, Fer Thallassio, insisted on volunteering for the mission. They want to start a family and the thought one of their children could suffer how your nephew did enraged them.”

“Thank you again, my friend. We will forever be in your debt.”

“Here’s what I’d like to do, Captain. I understand you must return to Iceland shortly, but my people are ready to start working. I’d like to put my head geek in charge of developing the plans for retaliating against these murderers―his work is what enabled us to defeat the vampire. He’ll call your man at NATO, gather any additional information on the suspects, and in all likelihood initiate internet surveillance.

“I’ll meet with him during the process but I’d like him and your nephew to develop our plan of action. Go home, you and I will talk soon. I expect we’ll be seeing each other again in a few days somewhere in Europe.”

“That felt right. I’m now certain asking Vasili and his people for help was the proper move. I could tell how affected he was by our boy’s torture and murder. Based on what I’ve heard of him, and on what I saw during our meeting, the man must have a strong moral compass guiding his actions. Abhorrence for the events I presented was evident in his demeanor. And there was no hesitation when he promised to provide assistance.

“During his encounter with the vampire, I believe his actions were initially motivated by a desire to protect his business partners in the Bay of Fundy tidal power project. His close work with the werewolves of the Full Moon pack during the crisis showcased his ability to cooperate with others to achieve a common objective.

“The resolution to the conflict was elegant. Although Prince Vlad escaped, the financial resources of the bloodsucker were severely compromised. He’ll twice before attempting any further incursions into eastern Canada. The business partners are no longer in danger, and the wolf pack and dolphin pod reaped unexpected monetary benefits. His comments on how the newfound wealth was being employed to benefit all the wolves and dolphins spoke highly of him. The Alphas could have appropriated the lion share of the money, but chose instead to use it for the good of the many. And hell, the jet and the yacht were nice toys to end up with also.

“When Poseidon agreed to save the pack of werewolves living on Atlantis before it sank into the ocean, he created an incredible group of beings. The capacity to shift between human, merman, and dolphin forms gave them the ability to function on land and sea. It effectively made them much more effective than they had been in their old form. They’re soldiers, sailors, and marines. My Dragons will serve as the air force in this operation.

“Vasili’s not aware of the sense of loyalty my people have, but he’ll eventually find out. His agreement to assist us has made him and his people new friends for life. Regardless of the outcome, his willingness to step up and help will make my people view him as a hero.

“It was good to meet his Chief Technology Officer also. I was extremely impressed with Neo. That young man displayed an exceptional grasp of his area of expertise. During the conference call with Draak, I felt as if they were speaking an alien language. Those two connected so rapidly I think they’ll hit it off when they meet in person. I should let my nephew know his new acquaintance is bisexual. My Dutch relative will need a drool-proof cover on his keyboard when he sees what the Canadian looks like during their planned Skype session.”

“There we go, Draak. I love my big screen monitor and the clear picture it gives me. It’s good to put a face to the emails we’ve been trading―nice smile buddy.”

“Same here, Neo. My uncle was right. You’re one big fucker. He said you played American football at uni?”

“Yeah, I went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and played for the Engineers all four years I was there. Hey, after meeting your uncle Litrik, and seeing how every bit of visible skin on him was covered with such colorful tattoos, I was expecting you to be showing some ink.”

“I’m too young for that. My people decorate their body one piece at a time. Considering how long we live, it takes a few of hundred years before we reach the level my uncle has.”

“A few hundred years? Wow! How old is he? And how old are you?”

“Uncle Litrik’s over five hundred years old. I’m sixty-two.”

“Fuck, I hope I look as good as you do when I reach your age. Not likely though, our life span is around ninety years. Our ability to heal when we shift between forms helps us remain healthy, but many of us die in accidents. The sea is a dangerous lover. Anyway, were you able to access the NATO information I asked for?”

“Yes I did I’ll be sending it over in a bit. None of it is classified, but I’m glad you didn’t try to hack into the system. I’m certain you’d have been able to get in, but sooner or later they would have tracked you down. This way there’s no risk of you being discovered.”

“Great! How about giving me a quick summary?”

“We’re facing a decentralized organization in the Russian Mafia. They operate in almost every country in Europe with each operation independent. They cooperate in several areas including the sex trades. Kiddie porn is a component in that segment of their business. Children are initially used in the production of films and webcasts of live sex acts―both ventures generate millions in revenue each month. After the novelty of a child wears off, they’re moved into prostitution. Those who survive, are eventually sold into slavery. This is in addition to those who are sold into servitude from the outset. NATO suspects Vladimir Putin and his thugs at the Kremlin benefit from all the illegal activities financially, and in turn provide a degree of protection to the criminals.”

“I’ll have to pay attention to the interconnections when I review the files you’re sending me. So, there’s no evidence of one overall leader?”

“No there doesn’t seem to be one. The different groups have been known to disagree and become confrontational at times.”

“That’s a good thing to know. It could be just the opening we need to deal with these assholes.”

“I’ll send the files over as soon as we disconnect, Neo. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. I hope you and I get to hang out when you come over to Europe.”

“Me too, Draak. I’ll probably be over in a few days. Have a good night and a great weekend, handsome.”