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Chapter 2

Track 1: Phantom Reign

Several days ago, Razuki Lowe, the man called N, was called to Russia to assist N.A.T.O. in a routine examination of a power plant. It is considered common practice to have along a intelligences agent almost any time politicians and litigation agents need to talk. Lowe had been greeted by one of his many alias. He was called Justice Law, he was described as an energy consultant. But N's real job was to see to it that no one attempted to use 'slide of hand' to buy 'favors' off the books.

In a most unfortunate turn something went astray. An explosion triggers on the lower floors of the power plant. N makes all haste diving into the flames created by the blast searching for anyone that may have been trapped or injured in the blast. Only to end up caught in a secondary burst.

In and amongst the intelligence agencies N is as well-known and respected as a spy can be. He is transferred between several medical compounds and treated by a dozen specialist before at last finding his way to London.

Razuki has only one visitor in the hospital, one that uses his real name Sagata Igaruga, and interduces herself by the name of his mother Sagata Awi. Awi waits in the hallway looking in at Razuki's room. She is a young looking girl, not even thirteen black hair pulled off the one side in a semi samurai bun, she has yellow predatory eyes and a strange musty smell hangs over her. She dresses in the uniform of a Asian university girl, blue skirt, with a matching coat and a Texas tie.

As one of the doctors steps out of Razuki's room Awi stops him. She glances as it nametag as she grips him by one arm "Dr. Bird, what is Igaruga's condition?" Awi's eyes are hypnotic, she sees to it that Bird knows her, as if she had been there every hour of every day, she also see to it that he takes no notice of her demonic strength or her shaved claw like nails.

"Awi." Bird looks down at the clipboard he is holding "frankly it is unexspected that he is even breathing at all. He has ventilation damage around his lunges, he is mostly unresponsive to nerve stimulus, but that is not the strange for Igaruga. If he recovers at this point he is going to be blind. On the other hand his other condition..." Bird stops himself mid-sentence.

Awi digs her claws slightly into Bird's arm "Do go on Doctor."

"By all right Igaruga should have died over 10 years ago. No one lives to be 25 with sato-autistic-mutagenic-disorder. There is a hole in his 'cortex the size of a pinecone. We don't know how he is alive at all." Bird pulls away. "I'm sorry ms. Sagata I will be back shortly."

"My I step into the room with him?" Awi ask

"Go right ahead." Bird waves her on.

***

Razuki's eyes snap open, his blood running hot in his veins. In shock of his sense of feeling returning the young man rolls onto his side pulling his arms and legs into his chest defensively. His eyes are deep set, his hair grown out in a wild way, Razuki's body is twisted by a lifetime of crippling illness but it seems at this moment much of his pains have resided.

As it dawns on Razuki that he is well he looks about. He is in a room with a canopy bed, paintings on the walls depicting men entwined in battles of one sort or another, the carpeting is thick and a copper red color, there is a window fifteen feet tall and ten feet across covered by a black blanket, lite creeps in around it, the ceiling is almost 20 feet tall in this decorated bedchamber.

The women that had called herself Awi hides in the shadows. As Razuki catchers her gaze he sees past her illusions, no magic has ever fouled Razuki. "You are the phantom Ichi had told me about." His voice is monotoned, deep and confident, a shallow sadness subtly echoes in its depths.

Awi replies "I am the Methuselah Meyu Darklare." She is now dressed in a red white Shinto cloak.

Razuki finds his feet "where are we? What are we doing here?"

"Cilvera Dean is the name of the town, we are in Hungary. We are here because you are dead, and we needed you back."

Razuki starts to dig around in his pant pockets looking for the bag of hard candies he carries around with him. "If it is all the same to you I would like to make a phone call. I am lickly needed back at..."

Meyu cuts him off "Did you miss the point when I told you, you are dead?"

"all available information seems to contradict that hypothesis." Razuki points out.

Meyu seeing what Razuki is doing walks over to a bowl on the nightstand tacking a piece of candy walking it over. "death as we understand it is much like life, it happens in phases. Your condition had degenerated past the point in which you could be treated by earth medicine. The Methuselah have accuses to technology not yet available to this planet."

Razuki takes the candy "do go on."

"the biggest problem was the acidity of your blood, do to your condition your blood had a negative PH. But you know that much already. In order to begin treating you the first step was a complete transfusion, and then eradiating your bone marrow. After that I could start adjusting your body chemical levels. There where consciences to that..."

Razuki cuts in "Elaborate."

"it is very possible that part of me has imprinted onto you."

Razuki's mouth drops open as he thinks "that sounds somewhat disconcerting. What could such horizontal gene transfer mean for me?"

"to the best of my knowledge there has never been a human methuselah crossbreeding." Meyu explains.

"Hypothesize."

"possible methuselah traits you could inherit may include, enchants metabolic rate, light sensitivity, metamorphic activity..."

Razuki holds up a hand to stop her "what did you mean when you said 'you need me' earlier?"

Meyu nods "I expected you to be this to the point. You have one of the 'keys of salvation' you need to either use is or give it away."

Razuki rolls his neck stretching "Marks Karingson said the same thing. Unfortunately, I don't know what you are talking about."

Meyu smiles, "Maybe I can help you understand."

***

Charlie Belmond road his steel horse though the night and into the light hours of dawn before arriving at a tiny bar hidden in the desert with a sign out front that reads 'The Last Stop Before Las Crossa.' Charlie folds up his glasses tucking them into his coat as he squints at the sign "Land of the Cross." He whispers to himself.

For weeks Charlie has been riding along the Spanish American border chasing down monsters. Today he is looking for a Wereraven, somehow it has been managing to out maneuver him, but now he is closer than ever. Charlie knows where it likes to hide at night, and knows its hunting ground, and flight path. The only thing Charlie doesn't know is where does it go during the day. But for now, he is low on gas and hungry.

Charlie turns off his bike and walks into the biker bar he has found himself at. The Bar is better lit then most and filled with the savage looking lot that one expects from biker clubs, there is Swedish metal playing on the t.v. off to one side of the bar and Charlie is greeted by the pump of a shotgun from the greasy looking women at the counter.

"This is a Hunter's club Frankenstein. You'd better keep walking!"

Charlie throws his hands up "Christ!" he exclaims "I am a hunter!" he tries to explain

"ya? What's with the face" the bar keep points out the web of stiched up scars covering Charlies face.

"I got my face ripped of fifteen years ago! Now lower the gun if you would." Charlie is half panicked.

A stalky looking man with glasses and a goat tee in a tanned leather coat steps over. "let me take care of this joker Brook.

The bar tender lowers her gun "alright Tie, go ahead and shake him down."

Another man steps up along side the one called Tie, he is a slender man with a widows peek and a nearly shaved head, he is dressed in a hooded sweeter and scarf. Charlie can see he has a par of catclaws hidden under his sweeter.

Tie ecknowages the second hunter "Neko."

"Twilight." Neko replies

Charlie lowers his hand "my I interject here? What the hell is going on?"

Tie turns his attention back on Charlie "I assume you have seen some of the more common monsters around these parts?"

Charlie nods "I assume I have."

Tie continues "have you seen the split jawed humanoids walking around with bleached looking skin?" Charlie nods "around here we call them faceeaters, what is the best way to dispatch faceeters?"

Neko adds on "Silver? Running water?"

Charlie looks between them with a shrug and a smile "Silver would probable do the job, I have an axe in the saddlebag of my bike, cutting off their heads seems to do the job O.k."

Tie and Neko look between each-other then back to Charlie. Neko starts the next question "the half-beast, we call them shifter."

Tie picks up "how do you deal with them?"

Neko again offer suggestions "Fire, salt."

Charlie looks to Neko "fire? Your kinda' an ass, aren't you? Shifters are just as mortal as you and I. Changelings on the other hand, the ones that jump between human and animal at will, they are somting else. But Iron seems to react violently to them."

Tie looks to Neko "seems legit to me."

Brook nods "Ok, Ill pore him a drink them. What do you like stranger?"

Charlie smiles as he walks up to the bar "Milk."

A biker at a nearby table yells over to Brook "Turn up number 3, Avatar is up next." Everyone seems to jump to attention on that note, it seems that everyone in the bar drops what they are doing and produce pens and notebooks as they crowed around the wide screen tv.

Charlie turns to Brook "What's going on? Who is Avatar?"

Brook speaks up "'The Avatar Awakened' they are a Power Metal band stationed somewhere in the North Center U.S. they popped up right before the shit switch go tripped. They have been sending us encoded messages for years via; photographs, posters, CD's and music videos."

Charlie is confused "but why?"

Brook hushes him "Don't care, our team needs a win and these guys are willing to lend a hand."

***

The music video starts with a short hand full of flashes of footage of solders marching, a flash of light, men in combat gear jumping off landing ships and the sound of gunfire echoing, that image then contrasted to a reenactment of Vikings storming a beach. The music proper starts with Charisma Diego, a woman of possible Spanish Indian lineage with bright magenta hare and a tube top made of out of what looks like dragon hide taking the drums. Her first roll mimics the sound of machinegun fire.

A dervish of ash and fire erupt around her as the camera drop into a Dutch angle Charisma's bandmates flash into view emerging from the ash and flams: Lucca Wingate as the lead vocalist, Alice Poe Frog (formerly known as Ashley Jacob) picks up rhythm guitar, Sa-la-day-namO as Mac pick up base, and Tail Vixon on the keyboard hides in the back of the group.

All five-voice thunder to start the song.

"Even as Lighting shatters the ground! Harts are Howling, Artillery Pounding!"

Lucca takes the lead "the enemies of humanity gather at the gates. Staring they bear witness to an undefeatable force. This pack of wolves show there fangs in preparation of the assaulted. Witness the coming of the phantom reign. Stand up and be counted amongst the pack.

All join in "Even as Lighting shatters the ground! Harts are Howling, Artillery Pounding!"

Lucca continues "we are the force elite, they cannot hope to defeat. We will chase them back to their caves, over rocks and snow, storm the shores, powered by blood and anger, love and rage, charge with indomitable momentum of the storm. Command the phantom reign."

All call back "We are the Lighting that shacks the ground, our howl fills the air, we strike as artillery hail."

Lucca "give no ground, offer no retreat, fight till earth is stained red, fill the seas and rivers with the dead, let them know this is our land, and we will give nothing. The pack has spoken, we are ready to make our sacrifice, for the opportunity at one final blaze of glory we freely give of ourselves."

All call back "We are the Lighting that shacks the ground, our howl fills the air, we strike as artillery hail. Even as Lighting shatters the ground! Harts are Howling!"