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Heart Beat
An Adam Flare story

By Julian Ravage

“Are you going to tell me about the angel?”

Adam looked over at Luis and gave a small sigh. He had been
pestering him the entire flight about the angel incident and Adam was a little
annoyed. His gaze went to the night sky and could see the stars blinking in
the distance.
“You can read the report at anytime.” Adam said as ghouls moved
past them to refuel the private jet.
“I know the report. Everyone knows about the report. I want to know
what you think of the entire incident.” Luis smiled.
Adam and Luis began walking the tarmac toward the gate. The air
was clean and the night cool. Adam found it refreshing to be out of the city.
His senses picked up the faint smells. The wide open spaces relaxed his
mind slightly. The night was clear as a fresh water river.
“When you pick up the check next time, maybe I will tell you my
thoughts.”
“Brother, you are a mystery wrapped in a black hole.” Luis smirked.
An armored jeep rolled up to the two Devils Men and a woman in a
black uniform stepped out. Luis’s eyes went to her legs. Adam’s eye went to
her rank insignia and then her eyes.
Adam spoke first. “Adam Flare and this is my brother Luis Cross.”
The Devils Men always referred to each other as brothers and sisters.
You surrounded everything about you to become one, even your name. You
are given new names and identities. Once you joined the Devils Men, you
stayed one for eternity.
“Lieutenant Bloom.” She held out her hand and shook both men’s
hands in turn. “I will be your escort to the General. If you please step into
the jeep, we shall be on our way.”
 Adam and Luis complied. The drive was a short one. They passed
through several check points. Ghoul soldiers patrolled the base. Adam made
note of the weapons. The R & D boys had finally rolled out the new M-90
Plasma rifles. Triple the ammo and five times the fire power. One to two hits
could take down any normal undead creature. They can blow a hole the size
of an apple pie through most creatures. The General must have pulled some
strings to get his troops the new fire power. Adam looked down and for a
moment, missed apple pie.
The jeep pulled up to the main gate of the base bunker. The two
Devils Men followed Lt. Bloom as they passed another check point and
made their way inside. The hallways were filled with troops attending duties
and guards standing like stone statues every ten feet. Luis kept looking at Lt.
Bloom’s legs as she walked. Adam took everything in, every soldiers
haunted face, every weapon, every eye that darted in their direction. He did
not like to leave anything to chance. Already he could feel this entire trip
was going to be a difficult one.
The two Devils Men and Lt. stepped into an elevator and proceeded
down. After twenty levels, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. The
décor was military gray. Luis did a quick glance around and whispered to
Adam that they should have brought some flowers to brighten up the place.
Adam smiled.
Lt. Bloom showed them to a double door and opened it. The room
before them was gray and had one huge metal desk in the middle. One large
chair behind the desk and two smaller chairs in front. Lt. Bloom motioned to
the two smaller chairs.
“The General will be with you shortly. I will have some blood brought
over. It will only take a moment.”
The door closed and both vampires took a seat.
“Classic case of ego this General has.” Luis said as he looked at blank
walls.
“Standard procedure for the General, he likes to make anyone he feels
beneath him, to wait.” Adam sat patient.
“We are the golden children of the empire. What’s not to like?” Luis
looked over some files on his Comm. Unit.
“Like most generals, they like control. He cannot control us.”
A female ghoul soldier walked into the room with two glasses of
warm blood. Each glass was placed in front of the vampires. Both undead
men toasted and took a sip as the soldier left the room. Ten solid minutes
passed before the doors opened again.
 Adam and Luis stood as a hulking creature walked in. General Zinner
was a massive brute of a general. He stood at 6 foot ten inches. The black
trench coat with all the metals on his left breast couldn’t hide his monstrous
form. He had a barrel chest and a face made of cold hard alabaster stone.
Adam couldn’t help but think the General looked like some twisted Nazi
from ancient Germany.
The General took a seat behind his desk. Adam and Luis followed
suit.
“I know why you are here.” General Zinner boomed. His voice was
like a loud speaker. “I am not done with the prisoner yet.”
“We have orders from High Command to interrogate and assess the
situation for possible escort back to New York.” Adam said flatly. He had
dealt with generals before. Never let them bully you.
“The prisoner is far too dangerous to move.”
Adam looked into the General’s cold eyes. “That is for us to
determine. We have gone over the recordings from six hours ago. Your
troops are good General but she didn’t seem to put up much of a fight.”
The General eyed Adam with contempt. “She is under lock and key. If
you move her, you risk losing her. Her kind will rip you apart.”
Adam looked at his Comm. Unit. “Not one soldier was killed when
you captured her. I find it odd that one of her kind didn’t try to destroy part
or your base entirely. Have you harmed her?”
General Zinner started to seethe a little. “No physical harm has come
to her.”
Luis chimed in. “Has she broken under mental strain?”
“No. She continues to remain strong under the circumstances.”
“This is good General. If she was harmed, you would be spending the
rest of your career ordering supply trucks around.”
General Zinner stood up and slammed his bowling ball sized hand
onto the metal desk. The metal creaked. As he pulled his hand back, Luis
noticed the rather large indent in the metal table.
“General, the empire commends you on this prize catch. We are not
here to fight. We are all simply following orders. If you have a complaint,
you can inform High Command but for right now, we must see to the
prisoner.” Luis said rather politely.
General Zinner composed himself. Adam stood up but kept his gaze
on the General. Adam felt the whole situation was rotten. Zinner was hiding
something. He had seen recordings of the General before. No matter how
bad the fire fight, he kept his cool. For him to show so much emotion over a
prisoner was unlike the General the empire knew him to be.
 “If you follow me, gentlemen, I will show you to the prisoner.”
The two vampires followed the General as he led them out of his
office and down a few large hallways. They made their way to the detention
center and passed a number of cells before reaching the high security cells.
The hallway was packed with ghoul soldiers, each 5 feet apart. They walked
to a metal door. General Zinner put in his access codes and the door opened.
“Luis and I will take it from here General.” Adam commanded as they
both walked inside.
The room was small and empty save for a lone woman with heavy
chains on her neck and arms. She wore a simple gray robe. Her hair was past
her shoulders and had many green highlights. Her eyes were a deep blue as
she looked at the two vampires walk in. A plain metal desk separated them.
Adam took a seat on an empty metal chair as Luis stood by a corner.
“Good evening cleric. I hope your stay here hasn’t been completely
uncomfortable.” Adam kept his face all business.
The woman smiled. “It would seem the empire has sent two of its
creatures to try and break my will.”
“We are only here for information.” Luis smiled from the corner.
“The empire is curious as to why a cleric of the Mother would allow
herself to be captured by the enemy?” Adam said politely.
“Last I heard clerics are to be killed on sight.” The woman smiled.
“We can talk all night but I would very much like to know your
name?”
The woman hesitated. She eyed her captures for a space of a few
seconds. “My name won’t change anything. It’s Sara.”
“It is good to meet you Sara. My name is Adam and my brother’s
name is Luis. And you are right. Clerics are to be killed on sight. Your kind
is notoriously hard to capture.”
“I should be flattered.”
“Don’t be. The empire is getting better at killing your kind.” Adam
said flatly.
Sara’s eyes hardened. “Despite all the propaganda out there, we do
not want all of the undead wiped out.”
Adam eyed Sara for a moment. “You still haven’t told us why you
were captured?” Adam noticed a faint odor of metal in the room.
The room became very still. Sara remained quite for minutes. Adam
glanced over at Luis. He responded by shrugging his shoulders. The smell of
iron began to fill the room. Luis put his hand in his black jacket, touching
the grip of his pulse pistol.
“Tell me Adam, How is the General feeling?”
 Adam connected the dots. “You did something to him.”
The smell had become overwhelming. Luis gripped his pistol. Adam
stood up and took a step back, his hand in his jacket gripping his pistol. Sara
slowly stood up. Her frame was thin and the chains on her massive. Easily
they were hundreds of pounds but she stood up with no effort.
“The General felt something he did not feel in a very long time.” The
smell of iron was overpowering.
Time slowed down as Adam could see the chains on Sara begin to
crack. The two vampires aimed their pulse pistols and opened fire. A green
aura appeared and wrapped around Sara’s small form. Pulse blasts struck
and bounced off the field as the chains cracked and exploded into a fine red
dust.
Alarms started to ring as Adam and Luis continued firing pulse after
pulse. Sara whipped her arms forward and green lightning shot forth. Two
explosions engulfed the room. Luis hit the wall full force and slid to the
ground as Adam fell to his knees with his left arm smoking. Sara crashed
through the table, put her hand on the door and released another green
lightning bolt.
The explosion stunned every creature in the corridor. General Zinner
was the first to shake off the effects. He saw Sara’s tiny form move toward
him. Blood began to pump as he heaved his boulder like fists up, ready to
bring them crashing down. Sara smiled as she looked up at the monstrous
vampire before her.
There was a moment where their eyes met and then a clear ripple
radiated from Sara’s body. Before General Zinner could bring his fists down,
the entire corridor erupted in a sonic explosion. The metal walls cracked and
every ghoul soldier in the area was thrown in every direction. Even General
Zinner was slammed into a wall which caused it to buckle and collapse on
him.
Sara was off like a bullet. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
She didn’t bolt for the exit elevator, she ran deeper into the detention center.
After a minute, she came up to two large double metal doors. She aimed
both of her hands at the middle and released a thunderous lightning bolt.
The doors exploded off their hinges and flew deeper into the room.
Sara walked in and surveyed the area. The room was a huge. The walls were
an easy hundred feet high. In the middle of the room stood a large white
wolf, chained to the ground and bloody. Sara ran to him. The wolf stood
twenty feet tall at the shoulder. The creature looked at Sara and howled in
delight.
 “We are getting out of here!” Sara said joyfully as she began making
the metal chains rot.
Noise and shouting was coming from the corridor. Sara glanced back
and could see ghoul soldiers organizing. The cleric turned and faced the
smoking hallway. She put her hands together and allowed the energy in her
body to build up. She opened her eyes and screamed. From around her body,
stalagmites punctured through the floor in unbelievable numbers. They kept
erupting from around her and outward toward the corridor.
Adam and Luis had made their way out of the room. Their blood was
already healing their bodies. General Zinner stood up from the rubble and
looked at the two Devils Men. All three turned and faced down the hallway
as a wave of stalagmites rushed toward them. Ghouls were trying to get
away but legs and bodies were punctured and slashed. They screamed as
their black blood burst from their bodies. Carnage ensued as the wave grew
closer.
Adam and Luis jumped up and stabbed their fingers into the metal.
They held on as the wave drew closer. General Zinner smirked as he lifted
one heavy leg and brought it down just as the wave reached him. The force
he channeled into the ground smashed the energy and stopping the wave
with one giant “BOOM”!
Adam and Luis let go of the wall and hit the ground but General
Zinner was already on the move. His massive form crashed through the
stalagmite filled corridor. His knees and feet smashed every piece of rock in
front of him as he charged down the hallway to the small girl and her wolf.
Adam and Luis picked up M-90 plasma rifles from two fallen ghouls
and followed the mad general. Their senses enhanced as blood pumped
through their bodies.
“That is a Reaper Beast.” Luis mentioned as they ran.
“I know.” Adam tried to stay focused. It appeared the General was
hiding something after all.
“We can’t stop it. We need to get more troops.” Luis tried to sound
calm.
“Stay close.” Adam said, keeping his eyes forward.
Adam didn’t want to think about it but fear crashed through his mind.
Reaper Beasts are gigantic creatures born from deep within the earth. The
Devils Men had very little information on how they were made. The only
information they did have was on the destructive power of these monsters.
Clerics would ride these creatures into battle and lay waste to armies. The
Battle of Mississippi River came to mind. Three Reaper Beasts took on an
army of ten thousand ghouls armed to the teeth with heavy weapons. The
reports from the few survivors indicated that only one beast was gravely
hurt. It took a force three times as big to reclaim the territory and even then,
there was a sixty percent casualty rate.
Sara watched as the General smashed his way closer. The chains on
her Reaper Beast started to crack and finally burst into a rocky reddish
powder. With one quick motion, Sara launched herself onto the back of her
wolf. The wolf beast barely had time to turn when a huge fist connected with
its snout. The creature roared in pain.
General Zinner pulled his plasma pistol from his trench coat and fired
several shots into the creature’s neck. The Reaper Beast howled in pain. Sara
appointed her hand and fired a green lightning bolt. The General stopped the
blast with his left hand. The shock of the strike was enough to make the
General step back a few paces but he was still standing.
“You will never tempt me again, cleric!” General Zinner shouted with
malice in his voice.
The Reaper Beast recovered from the onslaught and pointed its furry
muzzle directly at General Zinner. Its jaws opened and it howled. A burst of
sonic energy blasted forth and struck the General directly in the chest. His
form went flying across the massive room and crashed into the wall. The
Reaper Beast didn’t stop there. It continued to fire sonic energy at the fallen
General and the surrounding area. The entire north section of the room came
crashing down. Metal and rock rained onto the General as he lay prone.
After moments, the General was buried under tons of rock and earth.
Adam and Luis stood at the entrance way, pointing their rifles at Sara
and her wolf beast. Dust and smoke blanketed the room but all eyes were
locked on each other. The Reaper Beast growled as Sara eyed the two
vampires.
“If you two want to continue working for the empire, I suggest you
move out of the way.” Sara said in a deathly serious tone.
Adam and Luis kept their eyes on the creature, their fingers tense and
ready.
“The beast is already hurt. Aim for the leg.” Adam whispered.
Both vampires opened fire on the wolf. Plasma bolts streaked across
the room. The Reaper Beast was fast but not fast enough. Two plasma bolts
struck its front leg as it charged. The Devils Men continue their barrage as
the beast barreled toward them. The wolf opened its maw and let loose
another sonic discharge. Luis tried jumping out of the way but the blast took
him in the arm and immediately blew it off his body. Adam rolled across the
floor as the beast ran past. His blood was pumping like a jack hammer. He
was back on his feet and pointing his plasma rifle.
 Sara could see the elevator up ahead. Flashes of light appeared around
her. A force slammed into her back. Her aura flickered for a moment. Sara
tried to concentrate. Her wolf glanced back with one eye. Another force
smashed her aura and burned into her back. Sara’s eyes widened in pain, she
screamed as another plasma bolt took her in the shoulder. Her world was
nothing more then flashes of pain.
Adam looked down the barrel of his plasma rifle and fired off another
volley. The Reaper Beast howled as its leg separated from its body. The
creature fell forward hitting the ground so hard, the entire floor shuddered.
Adam raced forward and was on top of the beast in a blink of an eye. He
aimed at the creatures head. The wolf whimpered as several plasma bolts
burned through its skull.
Adam let out a long sigh. He stepped down from the dead beast and
walked over to Sara. She lay on the cold metal floor. Her eyes wide with
pain as she watched Adam stepped closer. She gasped for air but her eyes
focused on Adam. She tried to raise a hand.
“Please, let’s just end this quickly.” Adam said softly.
Adam pointed his rifle and then his body shuddered. Overwhelming
energy pumped through his body. Adam stumbled back as the energy pulsed
through out his form. His heart which normally didn’t beat started beating. It
beat like a drum, like a living drum. It was all too much for Adam. He
dropped his rifle and fell to his knees. Sara partially sat up and continued to
stare at Adam.
“Dont…want…you..wwiped….out.” Sara managed through the pain.
Tears rolled down Adam’s face as he looked at Sara. He couldn’t
control himself. He felt human. He felt alive.
There was a flash of light. A bright plasma bolt struck Sara in the
chest and burned through to her heart. Just as quickly as all that energy took
over Adam’s body, it left. Cold darkness rained over him. Adam looked over
and saw Luis walking toward him, missing an arm and pointing his rifle at
the fallen cleric.
“What happened? You had her.” Luis said as wisps of smoke flowed
out of what was left of his arm.
Adam stayed on his knees for seconds. “She had one final trick up her
sleeve.”
Adam wanted to know those feelings again. He wanted that more then
anything else in this world.

~Fin~