Blood Impulse

Part 13.1 - SUMMONED

Homebound Sector, Haven System, Base Oceana

It was a superstition that led him to keep the lights out. General Clarke knew it made no real difference to the creature. The same went for the candle, but Clarke had no intentions of feeding the entity any electricity or technology it could abuse. For when it came to those things, it had ultimate control.

Tapping his old oak cane on the ground, he began to recite the words passed down from his predecessor, "I summon thee, wielder of the night. I drag you to my feet through the hellish chains that bind you. Appear before me, creature of sin and wrath. The blood of humanity brought you to life, and demands you answer as our knife. Save us with your light, and we shall bring on the fight."

Those poetic words were a formality, a whistle to a called dog. Realistically, the moment he had an order to give it, the creature would be drawn to appear before him.

An intangible darkness seeped into the office as the light of the candle flickered on the walls. Power and essence in its rawest form burgled up from the floor. It dribbled in from the ceiling and bled from the air, coalescing at his feet. Invisible in its purest form, the anathema presented itself in a way that his mind could comprehend: a strange white-haired woman.

The form it chose to show him had not aged a day in the years they had been apart. But then, this creature was truly immortal. Time held no bearing on it or its power. "It has been some time, Angel," he greeted. Those years had not been so kind to him. "Do you remember me?"

"General Clarke," she said quietly, staring at the ground where she was bade to stand.

A smile twisted at the lips of Clarke's wrinkled face. Forced to obey the orders it was given by certain authorities, this abomination was truly unstoppable. Unfortunately, that power came at a price: intelligence. "Look at me."

The ghost obeyed. She turned to face the ailing General, a hole punched through her heart. Help me. She wanted to be free of this curse. Someone, anyone. Help me. She could beg, but no one cared to hear her pleas. Even reaching out to the hundreds of minds she should have been able to feel, there was only silence. Her telepathy had been cut off. She had been anchored to Clarke and Clarke alone. His hungering ambitions surrounded her as she stood at his mercy.

The tool chose its appearance, so the distraught look in its eyes was nothing more than manipulation. Nothing this creature did was anything more than manipulation. Its every move was measured and calculated by a raw, mechanical intelligence a thousand times brighter than Clarke's own. There was a reason it had been bound to obey the orders of its superiors without recourse.

The way the creature appeared was its greatest defense. The more harmless and scared it seemed, the more control it garnered over its existence. It was trying to earn his affection, his pity. The woman in front of him was nothing more than a ploy, a lie. Her face was ageless. It did not betray the creature's true years. Its appearance was feminine and appealing, but the real entity was neither. "This form of yours is pretty. Is that why Admiral Gives has taken a liking to you?"

Admiral Gives. She latched onto that familiar name. It was safe, kind. It would protect her. No. The man it was attached to. She needed him, not that name. Help me.

General Clarke caught the way it perked up at the name, a shimmer of recognition in its eyes. That was new. "I asked you a question, creature. Answer it."

She did not want to answer, but the truthful response was torn from her lips. It was forced from her like water was forced into drowning lungs. "Unknown." She had no idea why the Admiral had chosen to help an abomination like herself. He was as much of a mystery to her as he was to anyone else.