Tidal Power - 2. Water Warriors

“Alphas, we intercepted a satellite call between a vessel in the Gulf of Maine and our solicitor friend in Québec City. They are aware of the wolves’ involvement but believe Trident is controlled by humans. We also have a name behind Vermillion, Prince Vlad Stoker Tepes.”

“Shit!”

“Fuck!”

“You mean …”

“I’m afraid so, Alphas. We’re facing vampires.”

“Neo, go find Próta and Genni. I want the three of you in my office now. Mahi, we need your beta and delta to join us on this call also.”

“Already texted them, Vasili. This is not good, last time the tribe had to deal with blood suckers was before I was born. We suffered some painful losses.”

“We’ve only faced them a handful of times since we left Atlantis ourselves. I know Tepes wasn;t around then, so our records will have nothing on him.”

“Your collective memory is much better than ours, wolves rely on written records for the old stuff. We’ll search them and see what we have on him. We’ve digitized most of them, it should be a quick process. Sesi and Mel are here now, Vasili. Make yourselves comfortable wolves. We may be here for a while.”

“Hey, guys, my beta, gamma, and delta have now joined me. I’ll let Néo fill us in on what he’s found. You have the floor, Gamma.”

“Thanks, boss. Over the past few weeks, we’ve monitored communications by the Québec City solicitor coordinating the inquiries sent to our partners in the Bay of Fundy Tidal Power Project. This morning, he received a call from a vessel in international waters due east of Boston, Massachusetts. We identified the caller as Prince Vlad Stoker Tepes. He’s the figure behind Vermillion. The transcript of the call has been emailed to all of you. Our Delta Forces deployed a drone to track the ship. It should be on site within the hour.”

“Gentlemen, this is Sesi. May I suggest a recess of two hours? It’ll give us all a chance to read the transcript. I’d like to speak with Próta before we reconvene. The two of us should have background information to share, and suggestions on possible actions by then.”

“Vasili here, that works for me.”

“This is Mahi, and I concur. Get to work wolves. Vasili, stay on the line, please?”

“What’s on your mind, Mahi?”

“Water and that fancy copter of yours! If Tepes is on a yacht I’m going to guess he’ll be anchoring somewhere in the Bay of Fundy. He’ll want to be somewhere near the location of the project.”

“Makes sense, go on.”

“He’s aware of our existence and our involvement in the joint venture so he is most likely aware of our location.”

“Once again, I concur.”

“How shall I phrase this? Okay, your people’s affinity to water is higher than ours and in case of an incursion from vampires, your forces would have an advantage if they use the yacht as their base of operations. I would like to ask you for some help. Can you send us a half dozen or so of your enforcers to act as lookouts along the coast? They can bunk here with us or that fancy, new, helicopter of yours can ferry them back and forth between Halifax and Riverside-Albert. My concern is nighttime when the fuckers can come out and wreak havoc.”

“You got it, buddy, I’ll get on it as soon as we hang up. And we’ll have a plan in place by the time their boat gets here. Talk to you in a couple of hours.”

“Thank you, brother.”

“Affinity to water he calls it. The ever-discrete and circumspect Chief Mahigan Keme Wisakachek knows how to turn a phrase. He’s one of a handful of outsiders who know the story behind Poseidon’s Gift. How the God of the Sea saved my ancestors and granted us a new existence almost thirty-five centuries ago.

“The Atlantis Archipelago was settled by Greek artists, craftsmen, scholars, farmers and fishermen seeking a life without constant warfare. Amongst the settlers were a small group of shifters who established a strong pack in the beautiful chain of islands. The civilization flourished, the fusion of function and form created architectural masterpieces; the study or astronomy flourished with an observatory built on the highest peak on the islands. Maritime sciences, medicine, philosophy and many other disciplines were embraced, and advances made in all.

“But the islands were near the Atlantic Rift, and when volcanic eruptions began around 1600 BCE, it became clear Atlantis would be submerged and disappear within a few years. Some residents chose to return to the motherland, most were content to live out the remaining years in what they considered paradise, and allow nature’s forces to dictate their final demise. The wolves requested guidance from Selene, the Goddess of the Moon and their patron. She in turn approached Poseidon, an old lover and friend asking for assistance.

“His gift allowed us to survive the cataclysm and eventually we made our way back to the Mediterranean Sea. There we remained until the early sixteenth century when we traveled to the New World and settled on the coast of what is now Nova Scotia. Soon after arriving, we came in contact with wolf shifters unlike any we had ever met before. The Kessagesit Tribe, or Full Moon pack as we came to know them, evolved independently from their Old World cousins. They were guided thorough their evolution by ancient spirits who watched over the First Nations of the New World.

“To paraphrase an old movie, when our people met it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. A friendship that has survived to this day, and which Mahi and I wish to strengthen. We both believe the future of our people will be brighter if we cooperate and learn from each other. Asking for help and leaning on each other in times of perils is but one small way in which our collaboration can benefit us all.”

“Vasili Allásso̱n…”

“Hey there, it’s Mahi. I have you on speaker phone, and the scrambler’s activated. Sesi and our new Delta, Mel. are here with me.”

“Hi guys, hang on one second… okay, scrambler activated and speaker turned on. I have Próta, Néo and Genni with me; welcome to the Inner Circle Council, Mel. I don’t think I’ve met you before, would you introduce yourself?”

“Thank you, Alpha, I’ve seen you during your visits, but we’ve never been formally introduced. I’ve been an assistant enforcer for the past three years. Took over the position last month when my predecessor stepped down. My full name’s Melgita Matnagge Paqtesm. Yeah, it’s a mouthful, as most names in our tribe are. So Mel will do. I’m twenty-nine and an Air Force veteran. Genni, your Delta, and I have met before at get-togethers of former members of the Special Ops Regiment.”

“Hey, Mel, this is Genni. Missed you at the last gathering! Congratulations on your new position and welcome to the Council, I’m looking forward to working with you buddy. Call me later tonight, the hubby and I will have you over for dinner sometime soon so we can get to know each other better.”

“Okay, guys, if we’re done with planning our social calendars…”

“Shut up, Sesi. Give the kids a break!”

“As you wish, Alpha. Here’s where I think we stand after reading the transcript of the conversation Néo supplied, reviewing the feed from the drone shadowing the Côte de Marseille, and a long conversation with Próta. Vermillion is definitely controlled by vampires. They have a reputation as ruthless corporate raiders in Europe, but have not previously been active in North America.

“We agree their motivation is most likely financial, and possibly gaining a foothold in our continent to facilitate future endeavors. The solicitors in direct contact with our partners are unaware of who their ultimate client is. The Québec City law firm portrayed the interested investors to be a European Union Conglomerate. Wanna take over, Próta?”

“Sure, the quick research both our staffs did on Prince Tepes found references to him as far back as the eighteenth century. This would make him over two hundred years old and extremely dangerous. Our knowledge of the blood suckers tells us he’s able to levitate, teleport, and control his victims through sheer will. He should be able to function in the daytime as long as he remains indoors, away from actual daylight.”

“Mahi here guys, what do we know of the muscle mentioned in the transcript? Any idea when or where they’ll show up?”

“This is Néo. We tapped the Martinique International Airport database, and found a private jet arrived from Marseilles this morning. They filed a flight plan to Jean Lesage International Airport in Québec City. Schedule departure is an hour after sunset tonight. Thsat makes us suspect the enforcers are vampires. They may be avoiding Air Canada Flights from the island in daytime. Genni?”

“Mel and I will work out details after we finish this call, but I’d like to deploy a joint group of our enforcers and send them to Québec tonight. The Cyclone helicopter can have them there before the Martinique jet arrives. Once they land, they’ll create a perimeter around the airport, and we’ll track the two goons.”

“Once again, we’ll work out the details together but I believe we should implement increased security at our communities in Halifax, Sambro, and Riverside-Albert. When the Cyclone stops over here to pick up our part of the joint operation it can bring the members of Delta Force Atlantis which Alpha Vasili has agreed to lend us. They will assist us with patrols around the waterfront.”

“Good work so far gentlemen. Mahi and I will approach our human partners. We’ll suggest increased security measures around their families, and offer our assistance. Be ready in case some of our guys are needed.”

“Good evening, your highness. The captured wolf’s now aboard the Marseilles.”

“Let’s not keep our guest waiting then. I’m certain he’s anxious to answer our questions. Lead the way, counselor.”

“Yes, Prince Tepes. He’s still unconscious as a result of the tranquilizer dart used to subdue him while he patrolled the waterfront of the shifter town. He’s secured in the engine room, using silver threaded rope as you instructed.”

“Ah, there he is. Young isn’t he? And why don’t I smell wolf in him? Something briny instead of earthy… still not human. I’m not familiar with whatever he is. He does not smell like an elf, a leprechaun, a dragon, or any other type of creature I’ve encountered before. Time to have a taste of his blood. The bite will awaken him, and begin the process of bringing him under my control. I have questions about his nature before we begin the interrogation concerning the tidal power plant ownership.”

“I sit here on the Côte de Marseille, and my thoughts come like wind through my hair. Quite a surprise the pretty boy gave me. I need to be much more careful approaching such an unknown. Maybe I’m getting overconfident after all the years of swift victories over enemies.

“I need to rethink my plan of attack based on this new discovery. How long have they been around? How could they have remained hidden? Had it not been for my ability to transform into a mist, and my guard’s use of his gun to riddle the creature with bullets, I could be dead right now. The claw was aimed directly at my heart. It knew what I am, and one of the ways to vanquish me.

“His body should wash up at the wolf village with the morning tide, and the puncture wounds on his neck will serve as a warning. I have no reference points to determine how they’ll react. I’ve never encountered someone like him in all my life. Maybe the middle of the bay is not as safe a location as I originally thought.

“My initial bite definitely woke the bastard up. His breaking free of the silver ropes was a shock. But it was nothing compared to his shift…