Ch 18: Ghostfang Chronicles Pt I- Check In

"Thank you for flying with us and enjoy your stay in Istanbul." The pilot says. "You can now disembark."

One by one the rows of passengers get up and start to unload themselves from the aircraft. The man who was causing trouble is full of boiling consternation, but he says nothing and goes in silence.

On my way up the aisle, I spot the flight attendant making eyes at me. She tells me to have a nice day but then she very discreetly touches my arm and lets it linger there just a little too long before she lets go. She winks as I pass by and mouths 'call me' as I move onto the causeway.

To my surprise, someone else is calling my attention as I come out of the gate. It is the defiant man and his girlfriend.

"Thank you for your help." He says, reaching out his hand. I stare for a few moments, then I take it and shake it a few times and take my hand back.

His girlfriend smacks him over the head. "What were you thinking?" she says and then turns to me. "I apologize for him; he can't let things go sometimes. We almost caused you trouble."

To keep up appearances, I don't react too much and keep a stern facade. "Don't worry about it."

"I just can't watch rich jerks doing whatever they please anymore. There is no justice if someone doesn't stand up." He says, rubbing his head. He looks at me. "You think so, too, right?"

More smacks to the head ensue. "Don't talk to him about your foolish ideals of justice when you can't even take one dumb richie rich! You need to get big and strong like him and then you can talk about becoming a hero."

"I am no hero." I say and I leave them there to argue.

I skip baggage and go straight to the arrival platform. I have no idea what I am looking for. All I know from the report is that an inspector is going to come and pick me up.

I am not on the sidewalk for more than two minutes when a black SUV rolls up in front of me. The passenger side window rolls down, revealing a slim man with a business air and a well-maintained gray suit look at me down his large nose.

"Mr. Cain Wolfe, I am Hannes Kurz, and we are here to escort you to the complex." He says.

As he talks the back doors open and two burly agents in black suits and sunglasses get out. The slight bulges over their ribs tell me they are armed. One of them is holding handcuffs.

"I assume you come of your own accord to the conference, yet I must insist on these. I hope you understand." The man says.

I look at the cuffs and then the man who is holding them. Behind his glasses he seems completely confident, but I can tell both men are on a knife's edge. They are ready to put me down if I decide to behave like a mad dog.

I shrug and hold my wrists out to them. I can hear Hannes blow out a sigh of relief.

"Very wise, Mr. Wolfe." He says and rolls up his window to let his men take care of the rest.

"Turn around." One says, showing his piece to me.

Smart. They know to cuff from behind. I turn around and the cuffs are placed over my wrists. Then they are tightened as far as they can. Just enough to hurt.

They shove in the car between them, and the car rolls off. It didn't matter that a man was illegally handcuffed in the middle of a public area. No one said or did anything. Not even the police who were right nearby and saw the whole thing. It tells me that whoever is making this shindig go down, they have the whole city in their pocket.

We drive into the heart of Istanbul, through narrow streets and open marketplaces. People are quick to get out of our way.

Eventually we come to a more modern part of the city, where the buildings have shiny metal and reflective glass. Here, tourists and professionals mingle about.

We stop at one of these buildings. Guards in black suits are posted outside. The name of the building is spelled out in gold, with a bold font: THE COMPLEX.

I am led up the stone steps. I am not the only one. Other black SUV's pull up and more people are led out of the cars. They are all in handcuffs. They all appear trained killers like Ghostface.

They make mean faces at each other and some of them have words, even spitting at each other. Not exactly the friendliest group. They are all men.

The entrance is plain with nothing flashy. Just concrete walls leading up to a high ceiling. The walls curve around the center of the building in a curious shape. Almost like the confines of a bowl.

We are led through several check points, all with armed guards and their dogs until we end up at a row of elevators.

My escort, Mr. Kurz turns to me. "We will soon begin the check in process." The elevator dings and the doors slide open. "Please follow me."

As if I was going to do anything else. I step into the elevator with my escort and his guards. Only one inmate at a time in each elevator I notice. I say inmate because, at this point, I see the situation for what it is. We are now prisoners.

The elevator closes and descends. It stops at a sub-level, and I am lead down a dim corridor until I am placed in a cold metal chair inside an interrogation room.

"Please wait here while I get the specialist." Mr. Kurz says.

I say nothing and wait with a surly expression on my face, just staring forward while the guards stand in the corners of the room. They don't take their eyes off me for a moment. They are sure well trained and professional.

The door opens again and a man in a lab coat walks in. He rolls in a metal trolley with some strange devices I have never encountered before. Yet I feel a familiar energy coming from the illuminated, humming instruments.

<Grace. > I say.

She appears in the room, a hand on her chin, looking curiously at the instruments. <They have faint divinium signatures.>

<I can feel it. Who gave humans this technology?> I say, still concealing my concern and surprise. I only look merely curious.

<The source.> Grace says.

<Huh? > I say. <Less cryptic please.>

<Ugh, you are such a dork.> she says, rolling her eyes. <And still a virgin loser.>

I almost break character and react to her, but I catch myself. <Grace. Focus, please.>

<Fine, fine.> she says and leans in closer to the instruments. The man passes right through her. <Leon, I cannot trace the source of this divinium resonance. The signature is not stored in my mind.>

I can barely contain my excitement. <So, we found our miracle, after all.> I say.

<Yes. The voice most definitely exists now.> Grace says.

This annoys me. <I told you. You should trust me more.> I say.

<Thanks, but no thanks. You're a sweet boy with lot of potential.> She says. I wait for the massive 'but'. <But you are about as reliable in these things a paper bag trying to hold too much water.>

Ah, there it is. <So, we found the connection.> I say, trying not to sound too annoyed.

<A connection.> she corrects me. <This is an impressively sophisticated divinium drive. When I said we have to find the source, meant that would untampered lost relic. Whatever source this drive using, it not lost, and someone engineering these. Someone with a good deal of knowledge old world.>

Our conversation is interrupted by Mr. Kurz who follows behind the man in the lab coat. He smiles at me. I don't smile back.

"Thank you for waiting patiently, Mr. Wolfe. This will only take a few moments of your time."

I need to play the tough act, but I am curious as to what they are doing, so I ask my first probing question. "What is this? I have never seen technology like this before."

His smile broadens into a conspiratorial grin. "That is well, since it is a tightly guarded secret. This convention is the first time we are using it beyond the experimentation."

"So, I shouldn't expect to die, right now?" I say.

"Have no fear. It is perfectly safe." He assures me. Then he nods to the specialist who starts pressing buttons and bringing the divinium drive to life.

"That's not what I asked." I say, getting up so the chair slides back and topples over. The guards move in between me and Mr. Kurz immediately. He looks up at me from behind his hired goons, not showing an inch of fear. The man in the lab coat also seems unconcerned.

I don't even acknowledge the guards. "I asked what it is. Now tell me, or I'm going to walk out of here over your dead bodies." I say.

Mr. Kurz clicks his tongue. "Now, now. Threats are not wise." He says with a grin. "Not in your position, that is."

His hand reaches into his pocket, and he brings out a small remote. Grace looks from it to me, her eyes full of warning.

<Brace yourself.> she says.

An electric shock courses through my body, originating from the handcuffs. My reinforced body is naturally resistant to any debilitating effects, yet this amount of power brings me to my knees.

Mr. Kurz claps his hands. "Wow! I am impressed. That was almost a full force shock I just gave you." He says. "You should be flattered. I wouldn't do that to just anyone. I know who you are, Ghostfang."

<Leon, be careful. You have to seem no more than human these people. I think know what they are trying do.> she says.

<What? >

<I think they are testing to see if you have the Blood of Eden.> she says.

<And if I do?>

Grace pauses. <I don't know.>

<We better keep it a secret, then.> I say. <Can you cloak my genetic signature?>

<I can suppress your soul note if I really need to, but it's risky.>

The man in the lab coat has the machine ready now. It is a circular device, glowing with blue energy. He turns to me. "Please lower your head. I need to put this around your neck."

I give him a hard look. "You must think I'm a fool if I'm going to let you put that on willingly."

The lab coat man gives Mr. Kurz a nervous look, obviously wanting assistance. Mr. Kurz lifts the remote and makes a show of turning up the knob all the way to full.

"Let's be wise." He says. "I told you; this is completely safe. The area being tested is just for efficiency purposes."

<Grace, why is suppressing my soul note risky?>

<It is essentially cutting you from the system. You'll be vulnerable at those levels.>

<I'll be mortal again?>

<Precisely. The system, or my soul note is joined to yours and when your body suffers fatal damage, I keep from wandering the next life. If I'm suppressing that connection-.>

<I'll actually die for good if something kills me.>

<Astute, as always.> she says. <Leon, are you still going through with this? There might be another way.>

I stay silent for a while and the tension grows in the room. Grace has her hands clasped between her bosoms. For the first time since we've been together, she looks absolutely terrified.

I have to look away from her or else I am going to lose my nerve. On the outside, however, I appear unshaken. Mr. Kurz is not the greatest liar. Yet when you have all this hired help at your fingertips, lying isn't really necessary. He can just make people do whatever they want.

"Fine. I'll play your game, Mr. Kurz." I say with a grim sneer. "What is life without a little risk?"

Mr. Kurz's eyes glint with triumph. "I prefer to live my life with as little risk as possible, Mr. Wolfe." He nods to lab coat man. "Do it."

I lower my head so the man can fix the machine on me. Mr. Kurz keeps the remote ready, his finger poised over the button. The machine clicks into place.

<Grace. Suppress it now!>

She does as I say, her body fading away. Her last words fade away and leave a haunting message. <Emergency suppression protocol initiated.> then she adds. <Leon, 24 you will be vulnerable for hours. That's how long it take me to reboot the connection. If die by then, I won't forgive you!>

Then she is gone. I clench my fists. Grace, just wait for me.

The lab coat man uses a control board to start the analyzing process. The machine hums and the blue light pulses. I feel a strange sensation flow through my body. I am used to the way divinium resonates with my body, but not without my own source of divinium flowing with it. Now all I feel is a sense of emptiness.

For what seems like forever, the blue light pulses. The lab coat man grows a concerned look on his face. His hand goes to his chin. "That's weird." He says.

For the first time, a flash of concern moves across Mr. Kurz's face. "What is it?" he snaps.

"I-I thought I saw something in the readings." The specialist says. He turns some knobs to make adjustments to his instruments. He shakes his head. "It must have been an anomaly."

Mr. Kurz looks at the readings on the machine. Then his eyes slowly come over to me. I look back, defiance in my eyes.

He strokes his chin. "Anomaly, you say?" he says.

"Yeah, but it is gone now. The readings are coming back clean." The specialist says.

Clean. That is an interesting word to use, I note.

Mr. Kurz snaps his fingers. "Fine. Let's wrap this business up. I have other important matters to attend to." He says.

"Yes, sir." The specialist removes the collar and then exits the room. The two guards haul me up and practically shove me back into the hallway. Others are out there; each being led down the passage.

We eventually come to another set of elevators. This time we ascend, moving up almost thirty floors by my count. When we step out, the layout is completely different. Instead of a dim, ominous installation, it is warm and inviting. We soon find out that we have come to the hotel portion of The Complex.

The handcuffs are removed, and I am forced inside. Mr. Kurz clears his throat to get my attention.

"You are not to leave your room until instructed to do so. Instructions and an itinerary are on the desk. Follow everything to the letter. Any breaking of these rules will be responded to with overwhelming force. If you continue to be difficult, we have the authority to use deadly force and eliminate you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

I stare at him for a moment. "Perfectly."

He nods and clicks his heels. "Good."

The door slams shut, and I find myself alone. <Grace. > I say. Then I catch myself and I realize that for the first time in millennia, I am truly alone, and it fills me with despair.