Dawn of Apocalypse - Prologue

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 hooker comfortably sleeping, curled at his left side.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The phone rang loudly and irked the Secretary. He woke and rubbed his eyes, hauling himself from slumber. He had quite the activity and exhausted every wisp of energy in his body. Cursing under his breath, he reached out for the phone and pressed the loudspeaker button. A deep voice sprang as he answered.

"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 his hooker soundly sleeping on his bed. Her long wavy hair scattered beautifully to the expanse of the king-size bed.

Such conversations should be discreetly discussed. Fortunately, she was still sleeping soundly. He was now cautious for this conversation may lead to very sensitive and confidential information, and probably may expose his illegal exploits in Mt. Elberus.

"How do 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 he heard the Commander interject.

"It is not what you think. We are actually on the same side and I can give you what you want." The Commander responded.

"What is your plan? 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. In addition, 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. It was a risky ask.

"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." The Commander negotiated.

"First of all, what is in it for you?" The Secretary asked.

"Human greed is unfulfilling. You can never satisfy it within our given lifetime, Mr. Secretary"

"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."

"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."

The Secretary's phone suddenly lit up, it was a picture sent from the Commander. Secretary Henry took his phone and opened the picture message. Henry's eyes were wide with disbelief at what he saw in the picture.

The picture was dark with light green and dark combinations, 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.

"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. Going public with this one is unwise. This must be just between us Mr. Secretary. Otherwise, our pursuits will be revealed. We don't want to invite more hostility into our agendas, 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. He had to think this through at least overnight. Allocating the budget was just the tip of his pen but it risks 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.

"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 our operating procedures. 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, Consolacion is a rebel stronghold, fortifying their numbers to attack again our great City."

A great sigh escaped Henry.

"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.