The 9: Sorrow of Altair

EPISODE 1: RUNAWAYS

A fan spins in the top of the room.  In the center a young man binded to a chair is surrounded by two dark haired men.  It's dark; the binded young man cant see much.  He's dressed in black jeans, a plain white shirt, a black leather jacket, and black boots.  The man didn't seem intimidated at all by the circumstances. in fact his gaze was fixed on a steel rod in the corner of the room.  One of the men came close to the man binded in the chair revealing a gun in his left hand.  "Well Zero care to tell me what I need to know."The man said to the young man binded in the chair.  The man took his gun and hit the young man in the face with it.  The young man gave no expression; staying quite while still staring at the steel rod in the corner of the room.  The other man pulled out his gun and pointed it at the young mans leg.  "how about a warning shot."  He exclaimed in a low evil voice.  The man shot his gun at the young mans leg.  The young man clenched his fist for a few seconds, but then went back to staring at the steel rod in the corner.  One of tthe men put there hand on the boys shoulder.  "you can end this by telling us what to do; where it is.  Why dont you tell us? Zero?"  He said this as if he was on the verge of breaking the young mans will.

A knock was heard on the door.  The men looked towards the door. They stood; quiet; stilll.  They made no noise.  Even Zero himself just sat there and said nothing.  Zero knew something.  But what?  One of the men looked back at Zero.  He saw that the boy had a distasteful look on his face; as if to know exactly what was on the other side of that door.  It seemed from the look on Zero's face had some sort of personal vendetta towards whatever it was that was on the other side of the door.  The man quickly looked back at the door.  The knocking had finally stopped.  The door knob turned and the door slowly creeked open.  The men kept looking at the door.  When they where able to see outside the door they saw nothing.  They looked at each other then back at an empty chair, but they did see a pair of eyes staring at the door from the corner.  the two looked back towards the door where they saw a tall shadowy figure.  Its glowing red eyes pierced through the mens souls.  they quivered as they stood with there guns pointed at the figure.  Zero stood frozen in the corner looking at the figures piercing eyes.  His eyes void and empty made him seem unnaffected by the figures deathly gaze.  he held a knife in his right hand. clutching it with deaths grip.the figure stepped back a bit while moonlight lit his face up.  the light showed a pale man with black hair, and a set of parallel teeth,  sharp and pointed.  "I've  been looking for you; the one with deaths touch."  He spoke in a deep voice with what seemed to be a romanian accent.  "My name is Tyresius, boy!"  He laughed and looked at the two men.  "you let yourself get caught I see."  Tyresius exclaimed.  The two men kept there guns pointed at Tyresius.  Tyresius began to walk forward and when he was completely in the room the door slammed behind him and he dissapeared with the room.  Zero kept focused on Tyresius as he looked at him keeping his eyes in motion.  The men where basically blind and stood back to back with each other hoping that would give them a better chance.  One of them fired at the set of piercing glowing eyes staring at them.  "you're just waisting bullets."  Zero Exclaimed.  Zero walked forward a little.  "Heaven hath no fury for its son."  He exclaimed.  "Heaven hath all its fury for the dark sons."  Tyresius exclaimed.  "So you are the boy with the touch of death!"  Tyresius exclaimed.  Zero removed the glove from his left hand and had the knife still grasped in the other.  "dont think there's a reason I would let you live! I know what you want and I know who sent you."  Zero exlcaimed.  Zero looked at his left hand.  "This is the cursed hand of an unholy rapture.  because of this curse I am never able to touch another human being.  Who would want anything to do with this shell?  A question I have for you though, why are they trying to capture me. You should rather be trying to kill me!"  Zero rushed forward at the two men standing there.  He stabbed one in the back of the kneck and watched him fall.  The other was not so fortunate.  Zero grabbed the back of his neck with his left hand.  the man's eyes illuminated and he began to dissolve in purple flames.  "ah the power of Akiko's curse, its a wonder how you procured it, weve been searchng for a means to achieve that powere for centuries now.  I'll just assume Alucard was  right.  He often talked about you; how you were different.  You are a man who has no will to live yet god won't let you die or atleast thats what he told me.  Such a shame he and myself had to get on such bad terms."  Tyresius exclaimed.  "You killed him!"  Zero yelled.  "No of course not that old man's thriftier than that.  He was one of us you know.  He is one of those mortal men that just strike fear into ones heart for some reason..  He too seemed to have a gift like yourself.  I met him once and only once.  This was during the debriefing upon his progress with you.  He killed many men.  Many men thought unable to die.  He brought a certain fear into your heart something that made all but the soulless quiver.  not to mention he knew quite a bit more about the Vampyre than we expected.  It would seem that you would as well.  that knife it is engraved with blessed silver on its edge.  It has the symbol of the dark  god engraved on its side.  You know what your doing don't you boy.  So tell me how you know what your doing."  Zero stood there staring at Tyresius.  "So you wont tell me.  No matter I have  the protectorate seal of Anubis engraved on my chest so your little trinket will not work on me.  "This will" A voice behind Tyresius spoke as a gun was pointed at the back of Tyresius's head.  "Ah, the other experiment.  Malus how are you?"  Malus pulled the trigger but the gun would not fire.  "Just a bit unhappy I see, like I told your friend I carry the seal on my chest, why do you think he just has that knife.  He thought he came prepared."  Tyresius turned and grabbed Malus's gun, crushing it in the process.  He then grabbed his arm and twisted it out of place.  Zero came up behind Tyresius and grabbed the cloth around his neck. 

"I could kill you right now."  Zero exclaimed  "But then you wouldn't have your answers would you." Tyresius said.  Zero ripped the cloth with his right hand.  "I dont need you for answers anymore.  I just need to find Alucard."  Zero exclaimed.He grabbed the bare skin of Tyresius's neck with his left hand and Tyresius began to burn in purple hellfire.  "I will not die so easily!  I will be back!"  Tyresius yelled as he burned.He pulled a device from his coat pocket and drove it ino his heart.  The flames stopped and his scarred body began to regenerate.  "Much better, now Zero one such as myself does not die so easily.  They say that if there's a will there's a way and in my case Anubis is that way."  Tyresius exclaimed.  A gunshot went through Tyresius's head.  "Alucard!"  Tyresius dropped to the floor and there standing in the door way was Alucard. " I take it things haven't worked out so well, boy."  Alucard exclaimed.  "You would be guessing right"  Zero exclaimed.  "I take it after that you would like some answers, boy."  Alucard exclaimed.  Zero nodded his head.

Alucard through a cloth over Tyresius's dead corpse.  "It all started long ago you see.  Long before the Vampyre, long before mankind, all the way back to the creation of the world.  As the legend goes there were 9 kingdoms with 9 rulers all known as eden or as poeple nowadays call them, Angels.  There was the kingdom of Light, of deciet, of time, of fire, of water, of lightning, of eternity, of wind, and of darkness.  These nine kingdoms were created by the one god to rule over the world and keep peace, but there would be those who challenged this.  One such Eden was lucifer, or as some call him the devil.  Lucifer ruled over the ninth kingdom and eventually went on to try and conquer the other kingdoms.  The rulers of these kingdoms resisted but it was futile for lucifer was the only ruling archangel.  Though one Eden, Akiko the eden of darkness resisted lucifer and still survived.  Michael the archangel led the one gods forces against lucifer, but this was after he had conquered the nine kingdoms.  After Lucifers defeat the one god allowed him to keep these kingdoms thus creating hell.  Akiko and the rest of the 9  rulers with there last breathes cast there powers onto humanity.  Those humans possessing the gift are called the 9.  You are one of them Zero and so is Malus.  This is why they want you.  They still don't know about Malus however."  Alucard cracked his knuckles.  "He mentioned Anubis"  Zero said.  "ah yes, Anubis a cult organization run by the very Eden of death himself or atleast his reincarnation.  Zero you have Akiko's power.  That is why that symbol is burned in your memory.  why it can inflict so much pain on the denizens of darkness."  Alucard Exclaimed.  Alucard looked down at Tyresius's body as it began to rise from the ground.  "You just cant die can you you." Alucard exclaimed as he pointed at the door way.  "get out of here Zero, I'm going to take care of this."  Zero nodded and ran out the door as Malus followed.  as they ran they saw a red glow from within the warehouse.  They heard a horrible scream, not of Alucard but of Tyresius. this horrid sound eminated throughout this barren dessert.  Zero stopped runnng and looked back.  "In the light of god sinners burn and the judges give no redemption." Zero said to himself.  Malus looked at Zero.  "What is it that humanity fears in us.?" he asked Zero.  "Not just humans my metal friend, but evry being on this earth.  They fear us because we are to bring the end of this civlization of theres, that's our destiny, or atleast that is waht I've seen."  Zero looked around.  "So, where are we."  Malus looked around for a few seconds, it was very dark and almost nothing could be seen.  "We are somewhere in the Nevada dessert"  Zero started to walk forward.  "Well I guess we better get walking if we want to get anywhere."

The two walked for hours.  All the while questions where rushing through Zero's mind.  he looked at Malus.  "So why did they shut you down Malus?" Zero asked.  "funding was cut, my design was obsolete, and your, it was revolutionary."  Zero looked at the ground.  "Revolutionary thats what you call this, this curse.  They had no right to do what they did to me.  Hell I only know the name of who I was before this, nothing else, I dont remember a single person, a single memory, nothing."  Zero looked forward and stopped.  There he saw a man in a black coat, with spiked red hair, pointing a silver revolver at him.

---Deciet: Wishful Truth----

Around me there is the world, the entire existent of all there is.  But what defines existence?  What makes the world live?  What gives us purpose?  The answer is nothing, nothing at all.  There is no purpose.  My father taught me this.  I remember it so clearly.  His explanation of life.

"Remiel, my son.  These people.  This world.  They are not ment to exist.  They are merely puppets for those of us who can control them.  Look at the world for what it is my son.  Its nothing but ants waiting to be crushed"  My father had told me that time and time again, and as it was each time we were atop the castle looking down upon the village.  Back then I was a much younger man.  I was only twenty-four at that time.  I had long black hair, a pale face, and I was at the peak of my physical prowess.  My father he wanted so much for me to be the heartless count that he was. 

   My mother however had ruined his plans long ago.  He killed her right in front of my eyes.  He said it was to relinquish any human feelings I may have, and that it would help me embrace my anger and hatred, but my mother she had alway taught me the ways of honor an nobility.  As she once told me."  a man is no better than the ideals he lives for, and for the honorable man these convictions may never be broken lest the only puprose they live for die and they become nothing more than an empty being."  She told me that my father was one of these men, that he had in fact abondoned his honor for power.

He turned to me and gave me a smile.  "Son you are my blood and the only blood from which I shall never drink."  He told me this as if I should care.  I never chose the hand fate dealt me, and I swore to myself that I would change my fate.  But no man may avoid my fate.

One day the villagers had gathered in a mass outside my fathers fortress.  At the time there was no way I could understand what these people felt.  I did feel sorry for them though, but at this time I felt even deeper sympathy for her.  My father knew of my relationship with a young peasant woman but did not approve, in fact he thought it was just a show of my control over the people.  It was not though.  I loved the woman more than anything.  She thankfullyy was at the bakc of the mob that night.  My father actually lowered the drawbridge just to let the mob inside.  As the mob rushed in I pulled her away from them and brought her to my quarters.  That would be the most wonderful and last happy night of the rest of my condemned life.

My father spent that night rather gleefully; he took his time imprisoning and torturing the mob.  He would cut fingers, decapitate heads, vigorously whip them, all the while my father got some sort of sick sadistic pleasure out of it.  He would even bite into them on occasion just to taste there blood.

While he was doing this I was with my love.  She was so young and beautiful.  She was Victoria Dominic.  She was nineteen and had the most beautiful dark red hair, her eyes a rose red.  She was to put it simply the most beautiful thing on this earth, and that night though I know I shouldn't have I put my lips against hers and began to kiss her.  she smelled of roses.  Soon my lips made there way down to her neck.  My emotions were going crazy.  I felt the strongest feeling of lust; I could smell the blood coursing through her veins.  my fangs extended from my mouth and Iwas ready to bite into her.  I pulled my self back.  I couldn't do that to her.  I couldn't condemn her to this fate.  That night we decided to run off to a place far away, somewhere that my father could never find us.