To Honor: Vampire Assassin League #22 (8 page)

“That is not my secret to divulge.”

“Takeshi, please. I can’t handle this.”

“It is difficult for me as well,
watashi no ai
. I have had the greatest gift delivered. Without warning. Or preparation. If I use poor words it is because it means so much to me. I only get one mate. One.”

“Don’t I get a choice here?”

A look of devastation swept across his features. “It...was not wonderful for you, too?”

Oh. Shit.
His voice cracked. Went really low. He turned his head aside at the same time. Her eyes immediately filled with tears. Which was patently ridiculous. She couldn’t feel anything for him. They’d just met. And he was a delusional psychotic. They had no future.

“Um. I...think I need a time-out, Takeshi.”

She didn’t know where she found the fortitude to say it. It didn’t come from the physical realm. She didn’t know if she had enough strength to stand, let alone move.

“Time-out?”

“By myself. To think.”

“I am not so certain I should allow it.”

Her back went straight. She didn’t believe he’d said what she’d just heard.

“Allow it?” she asked.

“Oh,
watashi no ai
. Forgive my words. Please. If I fail at meaning it is because it means so much! Don’t you see? I am nothing without you! You are the center of my world. The reason for my being.”

“Takeshi. I need time. Alone.”

“Time? Oh, love! If you only knew how much of it I suffered through before finding you! And you want me to spend more without you? You do not know what you ask! I already know what the world contains without you, Christine. It is a landscape of complete and total loneliness. Total darkness.”

On cue, the cabin lights went out. An odd hissing sound came next. Takeshi was instantly standing in the midst of the cabin with Christine in his arms. She didn’t know how. He moved so quickly. One hand was wrapping the black silk about her, cocooning her against him. The other held her in place. The cabin was murky dark. And it was tilting rapidly and markedly. Takeshi kept angling to compensate. She decided right then that she didn’t care about anything other than how it felt to be near him. Close. Protected. Secure. She nuzzled her nose against his neck. Listened to his heart beat.

Or was it hers?

The intercom buzzed on.

“Hi back there! This is your pilot speaking. Sorry to interrupt, but we appear to have problems.”

“Hunters?” Takeshi asked.

“More like technical issues. When you fly experimental aircraft, you get experimental results. We don’t have much time. This baby fueled by hydrogen?”

“
Hai
.”

“Then we got less time. So. Here’s your options. Right now you can have a bad landing on a too-short glacier...or you can have a spectacularly bad landing into the side of a mountain. And I wouldn’t take too much time deciding.”

“Option one,” Takeshi answered.

“Good choice. Out.”

“We’re going to die!” Christine cried out.

“Not possible, love. I told you. I’m already dead.”

“Well I’m not!”

And the jet slammed into something.

The ninja inside took over.

Takeshi’s entire existence had been spent for one thing - turning his body into a weapon of precision, timing, and skill. He’d molded himself into a being of grace and strength; speed and skill. He’d learned to utilize every gesture. Use every sense. He’d been one of the Aka-Sourah Clan’s best at
ninjitsu
even before he’d been turned. But vampirism gave him the upper hand. He’d used the vastness of time mastering every form of martial arts, every weapon, all maneuvers. He could disable or kill with a finger.

He just hoped it would be enough.

His multi-million dollar, experimental stealth jet slid along an uneven surface, randomly jerking as it collided against obstacles. The air was alive with a cacophony of sound. Screeching metal. Burning brakes. Throbbing engines. Unsecured items became lethal projectiles. Kitchen cutlery. His tea sets. Random toiletries. And then the furnishings started ripping free of moorings, adding a groaning sound to the mix. Takeshi leapt and spun, dodging every oncoming item. He didn’t use his eyes. He didn’t need to. His hearing was acute. He evaded everything with precision. Timing. And Christine proved the perfect companion. She became an extension of him, her movements only a hairsbreadth of time behind his.

The cabin started disintegrating next. Debris clogged each breath. His hand-hewn and oiled mahogany paneling peeled away in strips, revealing the outer skin, and when that sliced open, he saw sparks. Moon-caressed ice fields. What could be mountainside. Star-filled sky.

All a blur.

They weren’t slowing quickly enough.

He ran the plane’s specs through his mind, while his body continually dodged items coming at bullet-speed. He knew the specs by heart. He’d studied and approved them. Takeshi attended every board meeting. Members of his board were hand-chosen. Well-paid. His meetings were all scheduled for midnight. Tokyo time. It was a good hour for business with the other directors. No one balked. They were scattered about the globe. Everyone connected wirelessly.

They needed to exit the plane. That gave him options. If Vaughn was the pilot he claimed to be, the man was releasing hydrogen as they slid. That’s what he needed this time for. Hydrogen wouldn’t combust if it wasn’t contained. It would dissipate and become harmless. Hydrogen rose two times faster than helium. Six times faster than natural gas. That meant Takeshi couldn’t take Christine airborne. The air above them would be filled with hydrogen gas. Asphyxiation would be the main trouble.

For Christine.

And that he’d never allow.

The runway ended. The front of the plane dipped. And the plane started falling. Christine’s cry accompanied Takeshi’s dive toward the tail section, smashing the wall that led to his bedroom suite. The place was a riot of confusion. Everything was slammed up against the back wall. That included the mattress. Takeshi smirked before pivoting, slamming his shoulders against it and that buffered their launch out through metal, and softened the landing as well.

He couldn’t have planned it better.

The mattress had been a gift of fortune. The bedding still upon it, an even greater prize. He unfurled Christine from him with sure hands. He refastened the silk around her. It would help against the elements. Vaughn hadn’t been exaggerating. They were on a glacier that glistened blue-white with moon glow. It was probably cold. He couldn’t feel it. He tucked Christine between the mattress and the sheet. She was shaking. He didn’t know if it was shock or cold.

“You’re...leaving me?”

The words reflected her tremor. Takeshi’s heart constricted.

“I will be right back
.
”

“But—?”

“I have to get Vaughn. The pilot. He may be hurt. Worse.”

“You’ll...come back?”

“There is no question of that,
watashi no ai
. You are my mate. I will always be there. Always.”

“You promise?”

“
Hai.
”

“O...kay.”

Takeshi didn’t waste another second. He knew where they were. The plane had crashed into the sea or Lopp Lagoon, at the 65th parallel. Bering Sea. Late fall weather. He hadn’t much time. In this temperature of water, hypothermia would occur within minutes. Prior to that, a human would go into the function disability stage. Their muscles would weaken. They’d lose coordination and strength. The first moments were the most critical however. That’s when cold shock happened. Even a half-turned human would be breathing hard and fast and deep. Drowning was a real possibility.

And that’s if Vaughn wasn’t injured.

The jet was easy to locate. It hadn’t completely submerged yet. But the cockpit was completely underwater. The water was dark with blood. Vaughn was wearing a breathing apparatus. Smart man. He was still conscious. Grievously injured. And stuck. The entire nose appeared to have compressed onto him, smashing his chest. Pelvis. Legs. Takeshi peeled metal open, ripped through the seat belt and pulled the pilot free. It took eight seconds. Felt like a thousand. Another moment they were out of the water. And then he had the man atop the mattress, right beside Christine. She gasped. Sat up. And was watching.

He didn’t look toward her. He didn’t have time. He yanked Vaughn’s mask off.

“Vaughn-San! Vaughn! Can you hear me?”

“Yeah.”

The pilot’s voice was weak. His pulse even weaker.

“I heard you were half changed? Is that true?”

“Pretty...much.”

“You ready to finish, then?”

“I can re—. Re. Re.” The man coughed. Blood frothed from his mouth before he finished. “Recuperate.”

“No. Apologies. Vaughn-San. You’ve lost too much blood.”

“I get a choice?”

“
Hai.
You can die.”

The man chuckled. More blood gushed out.

“Shit. I always...thought I’d get...a hot female. Rocking hot body. Legs to die for. You know. Like Sasha. But no. Not...me. I gotta go and get the ninja.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yeah. Do it.”

Takeshi concentrated. Felt his canines tingling just before they started reacting. Elongating. To razor sharpness.

“What...are you doing?” Christine whispered.

“Changing him.”

“Changing?”

Shock colored her voice. It dragged at him. He didn’t dare look in her direction. Everything was working against him. He didn’t have time to explain. Or comfort. Or mute what she was about to see. Takeshi sliced his wrist with a fang, starting a blood drip. Placed it against Vaughn’s lips, and waited. The man was really weak. His sucking motion was barely there. And then it strengthened. Started draining fluid. Faster. More. Takeshi lowered his mouth to Vaughn’s throat, stabbed in, and started feeding. Sustenance flowed to replace what he was losing. Vaughn’s pulse started dying. Getting weaker and slower. And then ceasing altogether. He ceased sucking. Breathing.

And then he ceased living.

Takeshi pulled away, licking the puncture wounds closed on Vaughn’s neck, and then doing the same to his wrist. He didn’t look toward Christine. He wasn’t just leery of doing so. He was terrified. And so he placed both hands on his thighs and waited. Something must have gone wrong. Had he taken too much fluid? Perhaps he hadn’t given enough. Vaughn wasn’t moving. He looked dead. Inert. Lifeless. The moon glow above them showcased it. The dead silence amplified it.

And then Vaughn’s eyes popped open.

The relief was instantaneous and massive. It almost cancelled out the sound of Christine gagging.

“You’ve reached VAL Headquarters, where the doorway is death and we provide the bouncers. Name your poison.”

“Is Akron in, please?”

“Depends on who is calling. You sound familiar. I can’t quite place the accent. Want to give me a hint?”

“To what, please?”

“Identity. Reason for calling. Pertinent details. Otherwise, you might want to hang up. For your own safety and convenience, of course.”

“Isn’t this the Vampire Assassin League?”

“Yep. Your turn, bucko.”

“My name is not Bucko. It is Takeshi Asourah. Of the Aka-sourah Clan.”

“Takki! Why didn’t you just say so? I’ll alert the big guy.”

Takki?
Takeshi shook off any reaction. He could be offended at the lack of deference later. Honor to his ancestors would have to wait. He had too many troubles at the moment.

“Hurry, please.”

“What’s the big rush, my man?”

“I need transportation.”

“Not a problem. We have just what you need. I just need coordinates. Let me activate the Abyss Link...bring up the global connections. Transportation for two. Coming up.”

“For three.”

“Three? All right. That’s it. I was already a tad annoyed about your current good fortune. And now you gotta go and add in a ménage?”

“A what?”

“Look it up.”

“Nigel.”

Akron’s voice boomed through the speaker in answer. Takeshi almost dropped the telephone receiver. It was bad enough using archaic equipment. Listening to decibel tones that would cause hearing loss to a human made it unnecessarily worse. He’d found the base in deplorable condition. That was unacceptable. There should be bottled water. Rations. Blankets. Something of use for a fire. Privacy. And then there was his newest trouble. Takeshi had never turned a human. He hadn’t known that newly-turned vampires didn’t have much control. Vaughn was sending off all kinds of mixed signals. The man didn’t know how to use his hypnotic powers. His increased energy. His hyperkinetic abilities. He was pacing back and forth on the opposite side of the enclosure, his fangs on full display. And he kept eyeing Takeshi’s mate with an expression guaranteed to grant him a short afterlife.

That’s one reason Takeshi had Christine on the bench beside him. She was huddled in a mass of bedding that visibly shook. She wasn’t talking. She wouldn’t even look at him. Despite how he had held her. Crooned to her. Tried to explain.

“Sir?” Nigel spoke up finally.

“There is usually a reason associates call us. Find out what it is.”

“Oh. I already know his reason, Sir. He has apparently altered his mating ritual to a three-way with a thus-far unnamed female. Now he needs transportation. I thought I was being quite calm and rational here.”

“No,” Takeshi inserted.

“No? How did I get it wrong?”

“The third person is not female. It is Vaughn.”

“The pilot? Oh wow. This is a major shock. And I have some insider info for you, Takki. Lizbeth is going to want your
cajones
.”

“My what?”

Akron interrupted. “Nigel. It appears you’ve decided to exchange your ticket from the pity train to the anger ship. Fair enough. I suggest you consider enjoining a battle or two on your VIDWAR game. Kill every avatar you come across. Trust me. It will help. Takeshi?”

“
Hai.
”

“I’ll call you back.”

The line went dead. Takeshi looked at the telephone for long moments before setting it back on the base unit. This spit of land around Lopp Lagoon was uninhabited. Perfect for a hidden VAL base. There had been one built during the Cold War. Looked like no one had been here since although the lights worked, the pump still pulled water into a basin Christine had used to splash water on her face, and the phone had a dial tone. That was lucky. He’d neglected to bring a pack of VAL slim cell-phones. Vaughn had lost his pack somewhere in the plane’s cockpit. That left Takeshi with this 1960’s model design. It was black. Covered in dust. Connected to the base unit, with a coiled, extendable cord. There was no way Akron could know his number. And yet the phone jangled just then with an incoming call.

Akron was speaking when he lifted the receiver.

“...use metaphors as a teaching technique, Nigel.”

“Well, I wish you wouldn’t.”

“Oh. I’m certain you are not the only associate with that opinion.”

“Well, we’re right. And I am
not
angry! There is no such thing as an anger ship. What’s next? A guilt highway?”

“Interesting. I might use that one in future. I trust you won’t mind. Takeshi? You back on the line?”

“
Hai
,” Takeshi answered.

“I’m going to get up to speed by filling in blanks. It’s quicker. You left the Eastern Hemisphere. You took your latest hydrogen project, an experimental jet you call
Wraith,
and it failed somehow. You are now stranded. How am I doing?”

“Impressive, Akron-San.”

“I’ll continue then. You are holed up at our 65th parallel base. Vaughn is a superb pilot. He obviously kept you airborne until you’d be in proximity. That was fortunate. But primitive. We ceased funding to that location years ago. I believe we only keep utilities operating.”

“That is readily apparent, Akron-San.”

“Well. No associates ever used it. Waste of funding. Looks like I may need to reconsider. Any special circumstances I need to know?”

“
Hai.
Vaughn has been changed. He is hungry. It is...uncomfortable.”

“Oh. Man. I would not like to be you when Lizbeth finds out. He is her major crush. I’m telling you.”

“Nigel, focus here. Takeshi called for transportation. Send a chopper out there. Make certain it’s got blood vials aboard. Get private flights scheduled out of Anchorage. Luckily this is the dark season up there. I want Vaughn under escort and on his way to Poenari Castle before they get a sunrise. We’ll get his training started.”

“On it. Where are Takeshi and his honey going?”

“Oh. I’m going to take a large guess that they’ll be heading to...DIA. Colorado.”

“Denver International Airport? Wow. That came out of left field,” Nigel inserted.

“Miss Diachenko has a condominium in Colorado. That is a bit more secluded than her other properties. Private. Oh. Arrange ground transportation from the airport to Boulder, too. Since Takeshi has decided to do the honorable thing here, he will need every benefit we can give him.”

“My thanks, Akron-San.”

“Why does it feel like I’ve watched an entire show and somehow missed a major plot point?” Nigel asked.

“Because you haven’t lived as long as I have.”

“Way to avoid the question, Sir. You are really good at that, you know.”

“It’s simple deductive reasoning, Nigel Beathan. What are the facts? Takeshi Asourah is a ninja. A shadow warrior. Never seen. Rarely even suspected. He is also of Japanese descent. He has properties throughout Eastern Asia. That is his territory. He wouldn’t leave it. Especially not while mating. So, something must have happened. Only one person has enough pull to make a trip like this happen. His mate. You want to guess what might have occurred?”

“I don’t know. They want to go skiing?”

“It’s a bit deeper than that, my boy. That’s why I brought up the word honor. Takeshi is doing the honorable thing here. You should be able to relate. Because he’s about to reap the exact same thing you did.”

“He’s going to let her go? Oh. Shitballs. Takki. Don’t do it, man.”

“Nigel. This isn’t something you can interfere with. Honor is a thing that cannot be taught. It can’t be gifted. It can’t be bought. It must be earned.”

“He can’t just let her go! Takki! Listen to me. It’s not worth it. You think pity and anger are bad. You should try regret. That’s a belly ripper. Try to talk her out of it. You have time. I can delay flights if that’ll help.”

“Thank you, Nigel-San, but I do not think that will work. She...is not listening to me. She won’t look at me. I do not know what to do.”

“Nigel.” Akron’s voice was soft, yet still commanding.

“Sir?”

“If you had it to do over again, would you have done anything different?”

Dead silence held the line for several moments. And then Nigel sighed. The speaker hummed with the sound until it turned into a low-pitched whine. Takeshi moved it a fraction of space from his ear.

“Lesson well taken, Sir. Transportation for three. Coming up.”

“Good man. And keep it quiet. We don’t need Hunters involved at this stage.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And Takeshi?”

“
Hai?
”

“Good luck. You will need it.”

And with that, the line went dead.