Now, John knew, it was all up to the Senate to vote and decide.

It had been a long time since Alex had last seen the Earth. He sighed, anxious and nostalgic. He thought of the people back in the Regnum. He thought of Angel and the baby once again and basked in the light of the truth that he was to be a father. A shaky and cold chill crept up his spine when he remembered the encounter with Anaxagoras. In his heart, he knew it was to be the first of many.

The ship slowed down as it left the titanic stratocumuli and approached CCC 1, ready to land in the main hangar. An air-transporter awaited their return and Alex, still bound by the wrists, felt afraid and alone. This hangar represented the potential for war, filled with thousands of battle planes, space fighters, tanks and cruisers. Vampire personnel moved about busily as Nikolas held Alex by his right arm and they walked inside the air-transport. The transport was like a bus from the Regnum but older and less comfortable. There were rows of seats all along the length of the transport and poles to hold on to for those that stood. Nikolas stood near Alex, with his hand on his left shoulder, reassuring him everything would be fine.

Awaiting Nikolas, Alex and the rest of the Rebels and soldiers, were Daniel and Erik. Nikolas kept Alex by his side as they walked out of the transport on the outdoor platform of CCC 1. He whispered into Alex’s ear, “Don’t say anything unless spoken to and don’t say anything unnecessary; keep your answers short and curt.” Alex nodded.

“Father!” Daniel walked towards them. He gave a small smile, almost unnoticeable and shook Nick’s hand. “So,” he scrutinized Alex, “this is him, is it?” Alex looked back at Daniel without any malice.

“Yes,” Nikolas said, “This is the Falsifier.”

Daniel extended his hand. “Welcome.”

Alex shook his hand with a firm grip. Erik sighed, flippantly blowing out a large puff of smoke from his cigarette. Nikolas knew he would be rough towards Alex, but only because Daniel had acted so formally. “Can we get this over with and get the guy inside?” Erik said.

“If you are in such a hurry, why don’t you kill him yourself?” asked Daniel. “Oh wait!” he said, “You’re not in charge, are you?”

Alex, amused by the two vampires, hid his smile, afraid to trigger any conflict. As they bickered, he scanned the area around him to get a better look. From the platform, he noticed the raging blue sea reflecting the light of the sun. A violent wind blew in their faces and hair. He breathed in, thankful to savor the breeze and oxygen of the Earth. It felt good and he smiled, closing his eyes. The sea was something he had never seen and it seemed to him like a mythical entity. No wonder the first travelers were so mystified by it and told stories about its majesty.

Daniel broke Alex’s reflection, “By the way, don’t be fooled by all of this, please. Erik is always upset about something or other. Come.” He walked past Erik, their shoulders brushing. “I’ll show you to your room.”

*****

John was surprised by his own behavior in the Senate. What had made him speak and act like that? It was pure luck; at least half of it was. There was a lot of calculation on his part, but that too was based on chance. He had had the feeling that Hassan had been behind the assassination attempt, ever since he had been in the elevator with Richard. The thought had struck him, when the previous coups were mentioned. He thought that perhaps there was someone outside the political system helping out Jarad, and he figured it would have to be Hassan as he was trained in the Army and was a Lieutenant. There was no crime as such in Regnum as there was a very strict weapons control. The only access to guns would have to have been provided to someone from the army and that’s how he made the connection. The entire idea of a coup wasn’t planned in detail but John always thought of eradicating the disloyal Councilors. Lylock was a nobody. John thought of him as an informer, a man looking for power just like everyone else. The main reason John hated him was because of the Vatican Mission. It cost many lives in the end and was one of the most, if not the most, major turning points of the entire war.

John was in his study while Richard kept Mrs. Howe company in the living room over a cup of tea. He took another gander at both the scroll and the canister. There was something Nick was trying to say by all this, but what was it? In the old days, Nick, Aidan, John, Jarad, and a few others invented their own secret language and became fluent in it. It was a sort of club of a chosen few who knew the secret code. It was a great way to give away vampiric secrets and the like. But there was no distinguishable sign or code, except for the emblem. As his eyes hovered over the cross, he saw it shining in the light. He circled it with his index finger.

Nothing happened for a few moments until finally a small crack appeared on the cross. Out of the crack a white light shone in his face like a flashlight and vertically projected an image. It was a video hologram of Nikolas. “John, my dear friend,” he said, “it has been a long time. I am sure you must have read my letter. As you can see, this video is actually from a long time ago. It was filmed during the mission at Washington. Remember?” he smiled warmly. That really was a long time ago. It took place about ten years prior to the Last Battle. It was a mission in which they were fighting for the West Coast of North America. After three weeks of fighting in California, they had won the battle and continued up towards Washington, working their way through British Columbia. From there, another group had gone further north and reached Alaska. Finally three legions were sent into Russia to attack the vampiric front from the East.

“I know you may be wondering how I was able to foresee this,” Nikolas continued. “It may be that I have some of the same gifts as Aidan, yet still less developed. What I do know is that Alexander, your nephew, will be the Falsifier. I knew this because Aidan told me a hundred years before this battle. Whatever else is to happen, will happen according to the Ardemic Prophecies. The time for your own initiation will be close, once Alex is initiated. Sorry to be so vague, but if information gets into the wrong hands it may be advantageous to Anaxagoras.

“This message is just to let you know that your initiation is at hand. When we meet again, the first thing we will do is the initiation. Then, you will learn the secrets of the Knighthood and vampiric history. That is all I wanted to tell you. I suppose it will fire up your anticipation.” Nikolas smiled and bowed and the hologram shut down. The light faded and dissolved into the crack in the cross.

This was special for John. Once they had been together at a secret camp in the Himalaya Mountains, thirty kilometers north of Uttarkashi, in the Uttarkhand state of India. They had been getting ready for the next day’s attack and were trying to push the vampiric bases up north to the frigid regions, like the source of the Ganges River, Gomukh. Aidan had told John many things that night. The prophet Aidan had been very popular amongst the Rebels, not only for his bravery and candid remarks against the king, but also for his good nature. Whenever they camped out he would regale the group with stories and myths. That particular night John had spoken to Aidan:

“Well, it’s been a hard day,” John said.

“Yes.” Aidan offered John a hot cup of coffee as they sat near the fire, “Here, take this. I can feel your chill. Don’t worry.”