Ravyn turned to me, her rage burning brighter in her eyes than in her still flaming fist. “Rusty, take these two to Cerrydwen and come back as soon as you can.” She glanced back at Naomi, “You remember the emergency password don’t you, darling?”
Naomi nodded. “I do.”
“Good. When you get to Cerrydwen’s place, make sure you tell Rusty what they are, OK?”
Naomi nodded again as she stood up with Alexa before grabbing a small bag that she had managed to pack. “I’m ready.”
I turned back to Ravyn. “Are you going to be alright?”
She shrugged. “I’ll be alright so long as I know that these two are safe. If you hurry back, you can help me to save as many of the others as possible.” She glanced back down the hall before looking at me again. “Get these two to safety. We can’t let Alexa fall into the arms of these monsters.”
“I’ll be back.”
A tear rolled down Ravyn’s cheek as she turned away and stalked off to do battle. “Good.”
I sheathed Excalibur and picked up the rucksack that I had dropped earlier. I reached my left hand out toward Naomi. “Come on. Let’s get you two to Cerrydwen.”
As she and Alexa drew near, I focused my Will and summoned the Shadow.
Nothing happened.
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
I waved my free hand to silence the questions and tried again, this time though, I reached as deep inside of myself as possible, summoning all of Will. I would not, could not, be denied.
Except that I was. Again, nothing happened.
“What the fu…dge?” I looked at Naomi. “I think something is blocking me from calling the Shadow.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How can they do that?”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew…”
I was interrupted by an ear-piercing, unearthly scream of rage of fear that was itself interrupted by an explosion that rocked the foundations of the house. I held on to Naomi tightly as the floor buckled and lurched beneath us. For the briefest of moments there was a dead kind of silence, but that was soon shattered by the sounds of other battles being fought elsewhere in the house.
Once things stopped shaking, I slammed the door to the room shut and ran over to the shattered window to get a view of what was happening out there.
At first, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, which was strange in itself. Sensing that all was not as it seemed, I shifted my sight into the Shadowland. That’s when everything became a hell of a lot clearer and I became a hell of a lot more concerned.
In the Shadowland, I could see the ring of man-sized figures that stood stock still, arms extended towards each of their neighbors. Extending between them was a web of crackling energy that seemed to form a dome over the entire Phoenix Coop. I had no idea who or what these creatures were and how they were doing it, but they seemed to have created some kind of bubble that was meant to keep anyone from leaving the place, especially through the Shadowland…
Friday, June 29, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 4
I hefted the black rucksack over my left shoulder and drew Excalibur from its sheath. I then stepped into the hall, glancing back long enough to shout out to Ravyn. “Let’s get Naomi and move to the rally point!”
Clutching Alexa in her left arm and raising her now flaming right hand to shoulder height in front of her, she nodded, her jaw set in grim determination.
Most of the noise was coming from the first floor. It was an eclectic mix of screams, grunts, breaking glass and other clashing sounds. As I pushed past a door on my right to get towards Naomi’s room, the door was wrenched off its hinges by an implosion of some sort. I glanced back to see Ravyn staggered towards the gaping maw that was now the portal before she steadied herself and sent a bolt of a flame towards a target that I was too far away to see. The stream of curses that flew from her lips was only slightly less caustic than the flame bolt that she had hurled.
I stopped to see if she needed any help, but turned back around to press forward again when she waved me off with a resigned sigh. “Keep going. There’s no one to save in there.”
As I came to Naomi’s door, I paused long enough to hear the sounds of struggle coming from inside. I glanced back to Ravyn. “Trouble.” I took one half step back and kicked the door handle with my left boot and used the moment of coming down to slam my shoulder into it, splintering it into flying wooden shards.
I shrugged off the rucksack as I turned to face whatever it was that Naomi was struggling with, only find myself facing two identically dressed Naomi’s locked in a violent embrace that was causing them to crash into the battered furniture of the small room.
“Shit!”
The Naomi’s separated as I stood there cursing. The Naomi closest to me turned and moved towards me. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here Rusty! This creature came in took my shape! Kill it!”
The other Naomi sank back against the battered desk. She looked up at me and asked a simple question. “Is Alexa safe?”
The first Naomi turned her back to me, continuing to point at the second, shouting at me to kill the intruder, but it was too late.
I lashed out with Excalibur using all of my strength. The blade lashed out blindingly fast and sliced into the neck of the unsuspecting Doppelganger.
The head of the creature went spinning as a fountain of greenish black ichor leaped into the air, spraying all over me and the rucksack as the body collapsed in a heap next to me.
Naomi’s shoulders slumped. She was clearly exhausted from her struggle with the creature. She perked up though as Ravyn pushed into the room behind me, the wriggling Alexa still held to her left hip. “Alexa!”
“Mama!” Alexa slipped from Ravyn’s grasp and bounded over to her mother in three running steps, somehow avoiding all of the pooling ichor as she did so.
Naomi held our daughter tight for a single quiet moment before the reality of the situation caused Ravyn to clear her throat.
“We need to move. Others haven’t been as lucky as you, darling.”
Clutching Alexa in her left arm and raising her now flaming right hand to shoulder height in front of her, she nodded, her jaw set in grim determination.
Most of the noise was coming from the first floor. It was an eclectic mix of screams, grunts, breaking glass and other clashing sounds. As I pushed past a door on my right to get towards Naomi’s room, the door was wrenched off its hinges by an implosion of some sort. I glanced back to see Ravyn staggered towards the gaping maw that was now the portal before she steadied herself and sent a bolt of a flame towards a target that I was too far away to see. The stream of curses that flew from her lips was only slightly less caustic than the flame bolt that she had hurled.
I stopped to see if she needed any help, but turned back around to press forward again when she waved me off with a resigned sigh. “Keep going. There’s no one to save in there.”
As I came to Naomi’s door, I paused long enough to hear the sounds of struggle coming from inside. I glanced back to Ravyn. “Trouble.” I took one half step back and kicked the door handle with my left boot and used the moment of coming down to slam my shoulder into it, splintering it into flying wooden shards.
I shrugged off the rucksack as I turned to face whatever it was that Naomi was struggling with, only find myself facing two identically dressed Naomi’s locked in a violent embrace that was causing them to crash into the battered furniture of the small room.
“Shit!”
The Naomi’s separated as I stood there cursing. The Naomi closest to me turned and moved towards me. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here Rusty! This creature came in took my shape! Kill it!”
The other Naomi sank back against the battered desk. She looked up at me and asked a simple question. “Is Alexa safe?”
The first Naomi turned her back to me, continuing to point at the second, shouting at me to kill the intruder, but it was too late.
I lashed out with Excalibur using all of my strength. The blade lashed out blindingly fast and sliced into the neck of the unsuspecting Doppelganger.
The head of the creature went spinning as a fountain of greenish black ichor leaped into the air, spraying all over me and the rucksack as the body collapsed in a heap next to me.
Naomi’s shoulders slumped. She was clearly exhausted from her struggle with the creature. She perked up though as Ravyn pushed into the room behind me, the wriggling Alexa still held to her left hip. “Alexa!”
“Mama!” Alexa slipped from Ravyn’s grasp and bounded over to her mother in three running steps, somehow avoiding all of the pooling ichor as she did so.
Naomi held our daughter tight for a single quiet moment before the reality of the situation caused Ravyn to clear her throat.
“We need to move. Others haven’t been as lucky as you, darling.”
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 3
“Yes, Sweetie, you’ll get a chance to ride on Betsy.” Ravyn looked up from Alexa to the disheveled Naomi. “Go get the things you’ll need for the next day or so. We need to get you two to the safe house. Don’t worry about getting dressed, there’s a full wardrobe for you there. I’ll watch her until you get ready.”
Naomi nodded glumly and shuffled off back towards her room.
Alexa bounded into Ravyn’s outstretched arms with a giggle and a flop of the raggedy stuffed bear.
I shifted my balance and spoke up. “What do you need me to do?”
Ravyn hugged Alexa, inhaling deeply of her essence before responding. “Stick by close by me until we see the girls off. We don’t know what we are facing just yet, and I want to make sure Alexa is safe.”
She sat back down at her desk and reached out to the business phone. She punched a couple of buttons, activating the intercom for the Coop. Her voice came through loud and clear over the hidden speakers in every room of the large house. “Attention this is a Code 3 emergency. Secure all doors and windows. Rally point is the Library in zero-five minutes. I repeat, this is a Code 3 emergency, rally to the Library in 5 minutes. This is not a drill people.”
I arched my brown and nodded. “I’m impressed.”
She shot me a sarcastic look. “Hey there, some of us actually make contingency plans for when things to go wrong instead of winging it.” She stood back up and pointed to behind the door. “Grab the bag behind that door, would ya?”
I turned, moved the door enough to see the black rucksack that I had never noticed before and reached for it, just in time to hear the glass breaking in several places around the house and the screams of shock and fear that accompanied those sounds…
Alexa’s voice cut through the other sounds. “They’re here!”
Ravyn’s curses were far more colorful and imaginative than mine were…
Naomi nodded glumly and shuffled off back towards her room.
Alexa bounded into Ravyn’s outstretched arms with a giggle and a flop of the raggedy stuffed bear.
I shifted my balance and spoke up. “What do you need me to do?”
Ravyn hugged Alexa, inhaling deeply of her essence before responding. “Stick by close by me until we see the girls off. We don’t know what we are facing just yet, and I want to make sure Alexa is safe.”
She sat back down at her desk and reached out to the business phone. She punched a couple of buttons, activating the intercom for the Coop. Her voice came through loud and clear over the hidden speakers in every room of the large house. “Attention this is a Code 3 emergency. Secure all doors and windows. Rally point is the Library in zero-five minutes. I repeat, this is a Code 3 emergency, rally to the Library in 5 minutes. This is not a drill people.”
I arched my brown and nodded. “I’m impressed.”
She shot me a sarcastic look. “Hey there, some of us actually make contingency plans for when things to go wrong instead of winging it.” She stood back up and pointed to behind the door. “Grab the bag behind that door, would ya?”
I turned, moved the door enough to see the black rucksack that I had never noticed before and reached for it, just in time to hear the glass breaking in several places around the house and the screams of shock and fear that accompanied those sounds…
Alexa’s voice cut through the other sounds. “They’re here!”
Ravyn’s curses were far more colorful and imaginative than mine were…
Monday, June 18, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 2
The reunion of mother and daughter was all tears and hugs from mom and giggling laughter and ticklish hugs from daughter. Alexa had come alive as we neared Naomi’s room and erupted from my arms with bubbly exclamation of “Mama!” as she bounded towards the huddled, still sleepy form of Naomi.
Naomi gave me a teary-eyed glare over Alexa’s pig tails.
I held up my hands as I backed out of the room. “I’m back in control, Naomi. I’m sorry!”
Between my protestations and Alexa’s energetic, giggling hugs, her glare softened. She nodded before hugging her daughter back.
Ravyn touched my shoulder. “Let’s leave them alone, they’ll need to get some rest.”
I followed her back out into the hall and towards the small office that she kept at the Coop.
“So did you receive that package from Drake?”
Ravyn nodded as she settled behind her desk and pulled out a large yellow and red DHL box that rattled as she moved it. “Yes. I haven’t seen keys like this since I was a child.” She reached in and pulled out a large ring of skeleton keys, each one slightly different than the others.
I shook my head. “You wouldn’t believe where this stuff is hidden…”
“The Angel-people are coming.”
We both turned to look down at the small, figure of Alexa standing in her nightgown and bunny slippers, a teddy bear dangling from her left hand.
Ravyn was the first to recover. “What was that, Sweetheart?”
“The Angel-people are coming, soon.”
Naomi padded in behind Alexa, her hair unkempt and her face stained with tears. “She keeps repeating this phrase. She also insisted on coming and telling you herself. She refused to go to bed.”
“Auntie Ravyn, the Angel-people are coming. Can I ride on Betsy?”
I leaned forward. “Alexa, do you mean that the An’girasii are coming here soon?”
She nodded.
“How soon are they coming?”
“They are almost here. We need to go bye-bye. Can I ride on Betsy?”
Naomi gave me a teary-eyed glare over Alexa’s pig tails.
I held up my hands as I backed out of the room. “I’m back in control, Naomi. I’m sorry!”
Between my protestations and Alexa’s energetic, giggling hugs, her glare softened. She nodded before hugging her daughter back.
Ravyn touched my shoulder. “Let’s leave them alone, they’ll need to get some rest.”
I followed her back out into the hall and towards the small office that she kept at the Coop.
“So did you receive that package from Drake?”
Ravyn nodded as she settled behind her desk and pulled out a large yellow and red DHL box that rattled as she moved it. “Yes. I haven’t seen keys like this since I was a child.” She reached in and pulled out a large ring of skeleton keys, each one slightly different than the others.
I shook my head. “You wouldn’t believe where this stuff is hidden…”
“The Angel-people are coming.”
We both turned to look down at the small, figure of Alexa standing in her nightgown and bunny slippers, a teddy bear dangling from her left hand.
Ravyn was the first to recover. “What was that, Sweetheart?”
“The Angel-people are coming, soon.”
Naomi padded in behind Alexa, her hair unkempt and her face stained with tears. “She keeps repeating this phrase. She also insisted on coming and telling you herself. She refused to go to bed.”
“Auntie Ravyn, the Angel-people are coming. Can I ride on Betsy?”
I leaned forward. “Alexa, do you mean that the An’girasii are coming here soon?”
She nodded.
“How soon are they coming?”
“They are almost here. We need to go bye-bye. Can I ride on Betsy?”
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 1
I emerged from the Shadow and stepped into the library at the Coop with Alexa cradled in my arms, dead-to-the-world asleep.
I was met by the stern glare of Ravyn, her right hand held high with a ball of red and orange fire swirling around her clenched fist. “Is that you, Rusty?”
Hugging Alexa close to my chest, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s me, finally.”
“Sorry, but I need to be sure you are who you appear to be, Rusty. Look directly into my eyes.”
I looked up from the cherubic brown face of Alexa to meet Ravyn’s steely gaze. “Drake’s gone for good now. He had his little chat with Alexa.”
Ravyn’s face softened as she realized that I was telling the truth. “Thank the Goddess, it is you!” The fireball surrounding her fist died with a fizzle as she brought it down, still smoking, and moved to take Alexa from my arms.
“How long has it been since he took control?” I let my arms fall to the side as Alexa settled into her arms and nuzzled up against her neck, still asleep.
Ravyn shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it must be close to two months now.” She shifted Alexa into her left arm, brushing back Alexa’s dark, curly bangs from her forehead. “Naomi is going to be so relieved to know that she’s back safe and sound. What did Drake do with her and why did he have to take her like he did?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Is Naomi OK?”
She nodded. “Yes, she’s been beside herself for days now, but she wasn’t harmed.”
“Good. Drake didn’t let me know what he was doing all of the time, so I’m not sure what happened when he came for Alexa, but he did let me experience his passing when he took her to the Tree.” I shook my head. “That was the weirdest thing to watch Drake bow down before my toddler of a daughter and pay his respects to her. It got even weirder when she acknowledged his respect and spoke to him in that same voice that she used back at Yule.”
“What did she say to him?”
“They spoke together for quite a while, but the main thing was that she thanked him for his service and then forgave him for everything that he had done to harm others.”
Ravyn looked incredulous. “She thanked Drake for his service? And she forgave him?”
I nodded. “Yep, and that’s what took the longest. He had left me in my body by that time and stood before her in pure Spirit form, looking almost exactly as he had when he was alive. She reached up with her little hands to his head bowed head and whispered name after name after name of all of the people that he hurt or killed throughout his miserable, long assed life and with each name, he became just a tiny bit lighter, more translucent. It must have taken days.”
She looked down into Alexa’s face before looking back up at me. “That must have been thousands of names…how did she know them all?”
“I have no idea. But I can tell you that it was a fucking who’s who of world history, that’s for sure. You have no idea how much of the history that we learn about in school was influenced by the people that Drake screwed with or outright killed.”
“I think I can believe it after all of the stuff he used your body to get stirred up. Rusty, you are not going to be able to show your face in public for quite some time—I’ve lost count of the number of different law enforcement agencies that have contacted me looking for you. I even had to send away the FBI students away from here after Agent Wilson called and told me that you had been declared a fugitive from justice and that you had made the Most Wanted list for a string of murders!”
“Shit! He let me see some of that stuff, but obviously not everything! He told me that he was taking down servants of the An’girasii.”
She pursed her lips and clucked her tongue. “That may well be what he was doing, but he has landed you in a lot of hot water in the process. Did you know that he took Dick Arnold?”
I stepped back at that. “No, I had no idea.”
She shook her head this time. “Well, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but not before we get this little girl back to her mot
I was met by the stern glare of Ravyn, her right hand held high with a ball of red and orange fire swirling around her clenched fist. “Is that you, Rusty?”
Hugging Alexa close to my chest, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s me, finally.”
“Sorry, but I need to be sure you are who you appear to be, Rusty. Look directly into my eyes.”
I looked up from the cherubic brown face of Alexa to meet Ravyn’s steely gaze. “Drake’s gone for good now. He had his little chat with Alexa.”
Ravyn’s face softened as she realized that I was telling the truth. “Thank the Goddess, it is you!” The fireball surrounding her fist died with a fizzle as she brought it down, still smoking, and moved to take Alexa from my arms.
“How long has it been since he took control?” I let my arms fall to the side as Alexa settled into her arms and nuzzled up against her neck, still asleep.
Ravyn shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it must be close to two months now.” She shifted Alexa into her left arm, brushing back Alexa’s dark, curly bangs from her forehead. “Naomi is going to be so relieved to know that she’s back safe and sound. What did Drake do with her and why did he have to take her like he did?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Is Naomi OK?”
She nodded. “Yes, she’s been beside herself for days now, but she wasn’t harmed.”
“Good. Drake didn’t let me know what he was doing all of the time, so I’m not sure what happened when he came for Alexa, but he did let me experience his passing when he took her to the Tree.” I shook my head. “That was the weirdest thing to watch Drake bow down before my toddler of a daughter and pay his respects to her. It got even weirder when she acknowledged his respect and spoke to him in that same voice that she used back at Yule.”
“What did she say to him?”
“They spoke together for quite a while, but the main thing was that she thanked him for his service and then forgave him for everything that he had done to harm others.”
Ravyn looked incredulous. “She thanked Drake for his service? And she forgave him?”
I nodded. “Yep, and that’s what took the longest. He had left me in my body by that time and stood before her in pure Spirit form, looking almost exactly as he had when he was alive. She reached up with her little hands to his head bowed head and whispered name after name after name of all of the people that he hurt or killed throughout his miserable, long assed life and with each name, he became just a tiny bit lighter, more translucent. It must have taken days.”
She looked down into Alexa’s face before looking back up at me. “That must have been thousands of names…how did she know them all?”
“I have no idea. But I can tell you that it was a fucking who’s who of world history, that’s for sure. You have no idea how much of the history that we learn about in school was influenced by the people that Drake screwed with or outright killed.”
“I think I can believe it after all of the stuff he used your body to get stirred up. Rusty, you are not going to be able to show your face in public for quite some time—I’ve lost count of the number of different law enforcement agencies that have contacted me looking for you. I even had to send away the FBI students away from here after Agent Wilson called and told me that you had been declared a fugitive from justice and that you had made the Most Wanted list for a string of murders!”
“Shit! He let me see some of that stuff, but obviously not everything! He told me that he was taking down servants of the An’girasii.”
She pursed her lips and clucked her tongue. “That may well be what he was doing, but he has landed you in a lot of hot water in the process. Did you know that he took Dick Arnold?”
I stepped back at that. “No, I had no idea.”
She shook her head this time. “Well, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but not before we get this little girl back to her mot
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Meditation
This post has been much harder to write than I ever envisioned that it would be.
I had been looking forward to writing about the final and permanent demise of Drake Kampmann for years now. Now that I faced with writing about that very thing, I am filled with a profound sense of sadness and loss that I haven’t felt since my own father passed away twenty years ago.
For the better part of a decade I have both feared and hated Drake Kampmann. At first he was the aloof, mysterious director of the Omega Project—someone who first recruited me and then oversaw my participation in that project—my fate was literally in his hands, in more ways than I cared to consider.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Drake was a ruthless, cold-hearted, evil sociopath who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone if he thought that there was any advantage to him or his plans by doing so. He used everyone that he ever came into contact with, manipulating them into doing what he wanted done by telling half truths and outright lies. If he ever knew what it was to love another person, he had long allowed the memory of such love to slip from his memory.
So, why do I feel as conflicted by his passing as I do now?
That is hard question to answer.
In part, I think it is because so long as Drake was around, I had a focal point for my own fears and insecurities. He was easy to blame for whatever hardship I faced. If I had never met Drake, I felt like my marriage would have been as strong as it was before, and that I could have sat back, fat and happy, as I watched my kids grow up. I would have advanced easily within the Dearborn Hills Police Department and been getting closer and closer to a nice middle class retirement of watching baseball games and fishing on the weekends.
It is like there is this alternate reality out there—that if Drake had never come looking for me, all of this weird freaky shit would never have happened. People like Papa Locks and El Diablito would have never even existed. Magick would have remained a figment of my wife’s imagination. Monsters like Grendel, Ma Grendel, Doppelgangers, and Banes would have stayed as characters in someone else’s books.
But then I remember all of the wonderful people that I have met because of Drake and I marvel at how the universe works. I would have never met Ravyn Fyre, Jim, Cerrydwen and the Frau. I would have never had the chance to learn about all of the different paths between the worlds that John Red Bear taught me to explore.
If Drake hadn’t found me, would another man, another officer, been able to become the creature that I am now? Would that person have been able to break free from the flawed prison of the Omega Project Chakra yet remained in this world to take on Drake and his cohorts? Would that person have embraced the immortality and been satisfied to exist in that cold, dead shell of his own body? Would that person have become a willing, but less than capable servant, that the Omega Project seemed designed to create?
So much has happened since that time that Drake came to find me—a whole universe of magick and monsters and strange new worlds has been opened up to me to explore—that I cannot even comprehend what it is to be that ‘normal’ guy anymore, living out a quiet, suburban life in ignorant bliss.
As much as I was dragged kicking and screaming into this (un)dead existence, I now can’t imagine things being any different.
There is so much to tell about Drake’s passing and the things that he did while he had use of this body—the messes he made that I am still trying to clear up, the enemies that he tracked down and eliminated, and the gifts he left for me and the ORC’s, but that stuff will have to wait just a little bit longer. I have needed to take this time to contemplate what his passing has meant to me.
There is little enough time for reflection, however, as events have continued to take place. My next series of posts will focus on what has most recently taken place while we tried to recover and safeguard those things that Drake left for us, and what is taking place right now in the Shadows all around as the An’girasii have begun to make moves against us.
The story of Drake’s passing will be a story for another time, since it is one that is worth taking the time to tell well. He deserves at least that, if not much else.
I had been looking forward to writing about the final and permanent demise of Drake Kampmann for years now. Now that I faced with writing about that very thing, I am filled with a profound sense of sadness and loss that I haven’t felt since my own father passed away twenty years ago.
For the better part of a decade I have both feared and hated Drake Kampmann. At first he was the aloof, mysterious director of the Omega Project—someone who first recruited me and then oversaw my participation in that project—my fate was literally in his hands, in more ways than I cared to consider.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Drake was a ruthless, cold-hearted, evil sociopath who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone if he thought that there was any advantage to him or his plans by doing so. He used everyone that he ever came into contact with, manipulating them into doing what he wanted done by telling half truths and outright lies. If he ever knew what it was to love another person, he had long allowed the memory of such love to slip from his memory.
So, why do I feel as conflicted by his passing as I do now?
That is hard question to answer.
In part, I think it is because so long as Drake was around, I had a focal point for my own fears and insecurities. He was easy to blame for whatever hardship I faced. If I had never met Drake, I felt like my marriage would have been as strong as it was before, and that I could have sat back, fat and happy, as I watched my kids grow up. I would have advanced easily within the Dearborn Hills Police Department and been getting closer and closer to a nice middle class retirement of watching baseball games and fishing on the weekends.
It is like there is this alternate reality out there—that if Drake had never come looking for me, all of this weird freaky shit would never have happened. People like Papa Locks and El Diablito would have never even existed. Magick would have remained a figment of my wife’s imagination. Monsters like Grendel, Ma Grendel, Doppelgangers, and Banes would have stayed as characters in someone else’s books.
But then I remember all of the wonderful people that I have met because of Drake and I marvel at how the universe works. I would have never met Ravyn Fyre, Jim, Cerrydwen and the Frau. I would have never had the chance to learn about all of the different paths between the worlds that John Red Bear taught me to explore.
If Drake hadn’t found me, would another man, another officer, been able to become the creature that I am now? Would that person have been able to break free from the flawed prison of the Omega Project Chakra yet remained in this world to take on Drake and his cohorts? Would that person have embraced the immortality and been satisfied to exist in that cold, dead shell of his own body? Would that person have become a willing, but less than capable servant, that the Omega Project seemed designed to create?
So much has happened since that time that Drake came to find me—a whole universe of magick and monsters and strange new worlds has been opened up to me to explore—that I cannot even comprehend what it is to be that ‘normal’ guy anymore, living out a quiet, suburban life in ignorant bliss.
As much as I was dragged kicking and screaming into this (un)dead existence, I now can’t imagine things being any different.
There is so much to tell about Drake’s passing and the things that he did while he had use of this body—the messes he made that I am still trying to clear up, the enemies that he tracked down and eliminated, and the gifts he left for me and the ORC’s, but that stuff will have to wait just a little bit longer. I have needed to take this time to contemplate what his passing has meant to me.
There is little enough time for reflection, however, as events have continued to take place. My next series of posts will focus on what has most recently taken place while we tried to recover and safeguard those things that Drake left for us, and what is taking place right now in the Shadows all around as the An’girasii have begun to make moves against us.
The story of Drake’s passing will be a story for another time, since it is one that is worth taking the time to tell well. He deserves at least that, if not much else.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Saturday, June 02, 2007
I'mmm Baaaccckkk
Well, that was...uh...interesting.
Ravyn, I'll report for my ass kicking shortly, I'll bring along the information on that vault that Drake mentioned as well. It is in a very interesting location that will make for a good road trip.
Prof...I notice that the Tiger's are dropping like stones, we need to make a road trip to Cleveland to see if we can reverse their baseball mojo against the Tribe. Oh, and by the way, I do have those pass codes for the accounts that Drake mentioned.
I have been reading through all of the stuff that he left for me to read while trying to figure out how I straighten things out with the FBI and the various other agencies that now have me on their watchlists.
Let's just say that I was not very happy to give up the control that I did on that tanker, but it is now a lot quieter in my head. Bernstein is indeed gone, with all of his memories (except for those that I assimilated into my own memory-and those are bad enough). Drake also did a good job of smashing the reassembling consciousness of Ma Grendel--that entity has been smashed and scattered so thoroughly that it took a little bit of work to remember how to work with the Shadow again.
I am intend to have a fuller, more detailed post up about some of the aftermath of Drake's visit and his ultimate (and final) passing from this world and how that came to pass in the coming couple of days.
Thanks, as always, for your patience...
Ravyn, I'll report for my ass kicking shortly, I'll bring along the information on that vault that Drake mentioned as well. It is in a very interesting location that will make for a good road trip.
Prof...I notice that the Tiger's are dropping like stones, we need to make a road trip to Cleveland to see if we can reverse their baseball mojo against the Tribe. Oh, and by the way, I do have those pass codes for the accounts that Drake mentioned.
I have been reading through all of the stuff that he left for me to read while trying to figure out how I straighten things out with the FBI and the various other agencies that now have me on their watchlists.
Let's just say that I was not very happy to give up the control that I did on that tanker, but it is now a lot quieter in my head. Bernstein is indeed gone, with all of his memories (except for those that I assimilated into my own memory-and those are bad enough). Drake also did a good job of smashing the reassembling consciousness of Ma Grendel--that entity has been smashed and scattered so thoroughly that it took a little bit of work to remember how to work with the Shadow again.
I am intend to have a fuller, more detailed post up about some of the aftermath of Drake's visit and his ultimate (and final) passing from this world and how that came to pass in the coming couple of days.
Thanks, as always, for your patience...
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