TANSTAV part 32

Chapter 9 part 3

I think he expected us to gasp in horror, or applaud him (though how we could do so tied up was beyond me), or something like that.  Instead, Xen asked incredulously, "What?", Calla inquired, "Do they not exist?", and I said, "Dude, you are even crazier than Colin Newman."

(Colin Newman: our fourteenth president, and an alchemist.  Was in charge at the same time as Abraham Lincoln was for the humans, though lasted a great deal longer than he.  Nearly impeached in 1865 for trying to create zombies using the corpses of Civil War soldiers.  Though in the name of science, his actions were voted to be unethical, as people thought it best to let the dead rest in peace.  His wife finally persuaded him that what he was doing was a really bad idea.  That, combined with the fact that his experiments nearly resulted in two of his children being electrocuted to death, caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown, and retire before he could begin his second term.  Also passed two bills before leaving the presidency: one making necromancy illegal, the other allowing any monsters to do experiments with science and magic, as long as they were not harmful to other creatures.  All in all, not a bad guy, but maybe too obsessed with dabbling in the secrets of life and death. Has his face on our five-dollar bill and penny.)

Fleming flushed with anger at my slight to his sanity.

"Newman was a coward and a failure!  He didn't have the courage to press on with his work!  I, however, shall succeed where he failed!  For I have actually discovered the secret of instilling life in a dead man, and creating a vampire!"

Like any really psycho villain, Fleming could not resist the opportunity to tell us his evil plan, and how he had come to think of it, in complete graphic detail.  Despite the precariousness of the situation, I found myself rolling my eyes.  He continued, "It is fitting that you should mention him, actually.  About a year ago, I was visiting his old house, and by chance, wound up in the attic.  It was there, amongst the exhibits, that I discovered the original spell he had been using to try and give his creations life!"

He reached behind the altar, and withdrew a large, glowing ball of light.  It was definitely magic, but it was the sorriest piece of magic I'd ever seen; a sickly shade of green, going black and white in some places, and barely with any glow to it at all.

"You'd think he'd want to reabsorb the energy he'd emitted doing that," I murmured.

"No," called Xen, "He didn't want that back in his body, he felt so guilty about what he'd done.  It was part of the reason why it took him so long to recover from his breakdown."

"Huh.  Wonder why he never destroyed it, then.  And nobody noticed that you'd taken it?"

"Nobody.  I used many concealment spells; you may have realized my great skill with them, Wormwood."

"Yeah, I did.  But wasn't Newman trying to create zombies?  Won't that mess with your idea?"

"Not at all!  I'm going to adjust it to accommodate with my desires!"

It seemed like this guy had an answer for everything.  He was still in a talking mood, which also seemed to be stalling him from his goal, so I finally asked the big question that had been gnawing at me: "Why, Fleming?  What are you trying to prove?"

"Haven't you realized, Wormwood?"  Fleming stared at me, his eyes protruding even more than usual.  "I'm doing this for the benefit of monster kind!  After this, we won't have to hide anymore, because the world will be populated by nothing but monsters!"

"Oh?"  I glanced over at my comrades, who looked as shocked as I was.  Even without looking in Calla's eyes, I could read her thoughts: this guy was a loony.

"Yes!  When my vampire comes alive, he will feel a raging thirst for blood, and will go out into the world, drinking that of any human he sees; either they will die, or they will become vampires like himself.  Then they will make more of their kind, and more, until soon, the entire world will be covered with vampires!  Don't you see?" he pleaded (yes, that was the right word for it, oddly enough), "We won't need to hide!  No more concealing ourselves from humans, because there will be no humans left!  We shall be free!"

"Except for me, Xen, Calla, and these other nice people you're holding prisoner," I pointed out.

"Well, yes.  In fact, because this spell is going to drain your life force to contribute to the creation of the vampire, it will undoubtedly kill you.  But your cooperation will be duly noted, after I become supreme ruler of the world!"