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Sebastian Duke · **01-20-2015, 04:50 PM**

Sunday, January 18, 2015 – 1:31 PM EST – The Compound – Old Saybrook, Connecticut

With the Illuminatus having possession of the son of the German Chancellor, things seem to be working out all too well. Having George von Hildenburg within their midst gives them options they didn't have before. Still though, taking over Germany, while maybe not as difficult as they'd originally imagined, is only one small part of the equation. Other things need be accomplished afterward. After all, occupying Germany is not the same and does not equal taking control of Vatican City which is, ultimately, where this all leads. Trying to invade other nations and ultimately seizing the small city-state with merely six or 8,000 men seems quite unbelieavable.

When we last left the King of Darkness and his group of loyal soldiers, Benjamin, the top European leader of Sebastian Duke's men, informed the others of George von Hildenburgs existence which caused a great deal of increased interest from his superiors. Add to that the revelation that he is indeed the son of the Chancellor only magnifies that curiosity.

We rejoin them now in the positions they were when the last chapter ended. The five of them coming increasingly closer to Sebastian Duke and the large map of Europe strewn out on top of a table along the outside wall.

“What does that mean?” asked Duke with a slight tilt to his head.

“It means that we may not need to make deals with the current German government,” Asmodeus replies. “We may not have to make threats of genocide. Am I right, young Benjamin?” he asks of his most trusted European component.

“I'd say you are spot on, sir,” he replies enthusiastically, a smile creasing his face. By now, to those in the room, Benjamins nervousness has subsided, showing his confidence. Benjamin now realizes he's no longer in a room full of his superiors. He realizes now, that he's been brought into the inner circle. A position that is guarded tightly by Sebastian Duke. Very few can get this close.

“I don't see how this George von Hildenburg being among my ranks means that at all,” Sebastian says, without hesitation.

“He's a Trojan horse, so to speak,” replies Benjamin. “Do you know the reference?” he asks.

Sebastian, now looking over the map once more, responds to Benjamin, “I'm vaguely familiar.”

“George von Hildenburg is the enemy within the German government,” Benjamin begins to explain. “He can quietly dispose of the Chancellor. Allowing us to conquer the nation and seize control in short order.”

Matthew, stepping towards Father Asmodeus, interjects “Why not just invade Italy?”

The men in the room look on at Matthew, his naivete written upon his face.

“I mean, if we just take Italy,” he begins to explain. “Then we have the Vatican surrounded by default.”

“Invade a nation with under 10,000 men?” Duke asks with a scowl that tells Matthew to not be an idiot.

“Matthew,” Jacob starts out, now seated back on the sofa. “We need more numbers, more mite,” he concludes, trying to soothe Matthews bruised ego.

Asmodeus makes his way toward Matthew, continuing the explanation of why just invading Italy is a bad idea. “Seizing Germany and a few other nations gives us the manpower and the weaponry we need to eventually take the Italian peninsula,” he says before pausing. “And with Italy, comes Vatican City. With the Vatican, comes the throne of Saint Peter. Upon which, your King will sit.”

”Damn it!” Sebastian yells as he sends a vase that was previously holding the map down crashing into the wall and shattering into a thousand pieces.

”Something wrong, son?” Asmodeus questions.

Sebastian turns to face him, now leaning with his backside against the edge of the table. “I just don't see how this is going to work,” he replies.

”Just a little bit ago you were sure we could do it with even fewer men,” Asmodeus replies before asking the all important question. “What has changed since then?”

“It's a monumental task, Asmodeus,” he states in a near yelling tone. “Asking so few men to accomplish the feat of the conquering of nations is bizarre,” he says before pausing momentarily, then continuing, “we'll get crushed.”

“Um, I have a suggestion,” Matthew says hesitantly as he stands up.

“Matt, if this has anything to do with invading Italy then just sit back down and shut the hole in your face!” replies Duke as his anger and frustration continues to grow.

“No,” he replies. “It's not that. Could I suggest you call your brother?” he asks of Sebastian.

“My brother?” he questions. “What the hell does he have to do with this?”

“My leader,” Matthew begins to explain. “Like you, he also has connections throughout the world. His differ from yours. I have reason to believe he may be in possession of something that may help you. May help us all, actually.”

The men look around at each other in silence. Matthew retakes his seat, as Asmodeus plops himself down in a chair, resting his aching knee. Jacob hops upon the table with the map. Benjamin looks on quietly from a standing position near Asmodeus. Sebastian makes his way directly across the room toward the telephone resting on a small round table positioned between two matching chairs just in front of the crackling fire. He chooses to take a seat in one of the chairs then picks up the receiver and begins to dial.

A few second later, his voice breaks the silence. “Theo, Sebastian,” he says. “Oh yeah, caller ID and what not. Hey listen,” he instructs. “Matthew tells me you might have something that will help me in my latest venture.” Sebastian listens to his brothers response. “Yeah, I've decided it time to conquer the Church,” he says while smiling. “The problem is, I don't think I have enough men and Matt says you might have something to remedy that.” Sebastians eyes grow wide with excitement and a renewed sense of determination as he listens to Theo Pryce's response. He looks up at the clock on the mantle of the fireplace before concluding the conversation, “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Sebastian hangs up the phone. What seems like several minutes passes before Asmodeus breaks the silence. “What is it, son?” he questions without an immediate response. “What does my younger bastard son have for my elder bastard son?”

“Jake,” Sebastian starts out. “Gas up the jet.”

”Our destination, sir?” he asks.

”Las Vegas,” Sebastian answers.

Asmodeus bursts out of his chair. “Are you out of your mind? Las Vegas for a little gambling and whores while we should be focused on the task at hand! Do you not remember Atlantic City!?”

“I remember Atlantic City quite well,” Sebastian says with a growing smile. “Tell me Dad, does it still burn when you take a piss?”

Asmodeus takes a seat, silenced momentarily by Sebastians reference to his night with a whore. “She was a lovely woman!” he shouts.

”When will you return?” asks Matthew, returning the conversation to a more serious cause.

Sebastian shakes his head. “No,” he pauses. “Choose a couple of the underlings to stay behind as caretakers.” He continues, “we're all going to Vegas. We won't be coming back here any time soon.”

Jacob gets on the phone immediately to the airfield.

Monday, January 19, 2015 – 3:31 PM EST – Air Darkness One – Somewhere Above Death Valley, Nevada

The King of Darkness finds himself within the cockpit of the jumbo jet carrying the entire United States division of the Illuminatus. He stands between, and just behind the pilot and co-pilot staring nervously at the green and black screen of the radar. The arm on the radar screen sweeps in a clockwise circular pattern showing up nothing.

“Sir,” the pilot says. “We're going to have to land. We're running dangerously low on fuel.”

”How much flight time do you have left?” Sebastian asks.

The pilot looks over some of his gauges before replying, “about twenty minutes.”

”Then I guess you'll have to keep her airborne for twenty more minutes,” Sebastian says curtly.

He's beginning to worry. Knowing full well that Theo had told him the place was undetectable to not only the most advanced radar equipment, but even to anyone that might foolishly walk the desert. They'd pass right over it and not see a thing. They'd have no idea what rests beneath their feet. Time was running short though. That much was true. He remembered Theo saying he'd send out a signal via his Central Intelligence issued cell phone, but they've yet to come across that signal.

”Recheck your coordinates. Maybe we're off a little,” Sebastian orders.

”I've checked them a dozen times,” the pilot says before being interrupted by an agitated Sebastian Duke.

”THEN CHECK THEM A DOZEN MORE!” Sebastian shouts angrily.

BEEP!

The sound was so feint that they nearly didn't even hear it.

BEEP!

”I hear you! Where you at mother fucker!?” shouts the pilot excitedly. The sound is coming through, but still, nothing is showing up on radar. “Damn it! We lost the signal! Sir, please sit down and buckle up, we're gonna have to dive low and swing back around, it's gonna be a tight turn! I need that signal!”

Sebastian does as the pilot suggested and without a warning, the large jumbo airliner dives toward the ground, the tan sands of the desert getting alarmingly close as the pilot and co-pilot jerk the jet to the right causing the plane to shift to an almost sideways vertical position.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

”Sir! We've re-aquired the signal!” shouts the co-pilot. “Two miles and closing rapidly!”

”Half throttle!” shouts the pilot as both he and his flight partner rear back on the throttle. “Landing gear down!”

”Landing gear is down, sir!” replies the co-pilot after jamming his finger into a large red button near the center of the control panel.

”Brace yourselves!” instructs the pilot. “We're gonna hit hard!”

The warning buzzers are now sounding as the plane is nearly out of fuel. Within seconds, the jet engines cease operation, having spent the last of the fuel. The plane descends slowly, gliding toward the ground. The controls shake violently in both pilots' hands. Finally, they touch down with a violent jerk and roll to a stop several hundred feet from a parked black SUV. A man that could only be Theo Pryce begins his trek from the SUV toward the large aircraft.

Sebastian Duke unbuckles himself and leans his head to his pilots right ear. “If you ever defy my orders again,” he begins. “It'll be the last thing you ever do.” Without waiting for any kind of response, Sebastian heads through the mass of still seated Illuminatus members. He gestures to them, telling them to stay seated. He then heads out through the passenger compartment and into the cargo hold. Passed the black Tahoes and down the already opened cargo bay door where he meets his younger brother with a warm handshake and a smile.

”Dear brother,” he says. “I have one question.”

”What's that?” Theo asks.

”What the hell am I going to do with the plane?” he questions. “It's out of fuel.”

”You're in luck,” Theo responds. “You just happened to pick the right place for a crash landing,” he says as he holds up a small box that resembles a common garage door opener. With a click of the button a loud hum and whirring sound can be heard coming from near the aircraft. Sebastian looks back and watches as his prized Air Darkness One jumbo jet descends into the Earth's surface. Once it is fully beneath the surface, a large portion of desert moves out from just below the surface and up into its place, taking the position of the portion that was lowered into the ground with the jet.

”That's so fuckin' cool,” Sebastian exclaims with a smile.

”You haven't seen anything yet,” Theo says with a smile. “Walk with me.”

Sebastian, a usually cool and unemotional man can barely contain his excitement as he walks beside his younger brother. They stand near a cactus as Theo retrieves a credit card sized plastic card from his wallet and holds it up. “What's that?” he asks.

”The keys to your kingdom, Brother,” Theo says as he slides the card into a slice made in the side of the cactus.

Sebastian looks on with confusion evident upon his face. Merely a few seconds later a tall, large vertical rectangular shaped object rises from below the desert surface adjacent to the cactus. “What the hell is that?” he inquires.

”The entrance,” Theo replies as he steps into the box. Sebastian follows. Theo closes the glass door and inserts the card into a slot. “Put your thumb on the scanner,” he instructs.

Sebastian does as he's instructed when a robotic voice confirms his identity and states “Welcome home, Your Highness.”

”Damn this is so cool,” Sebastian says.

”You said that. Again, Brother,” Theo pauses. “You haven't seen anything yet,” he concludes as the glass box they're in descends into the Earth.

After several feet, levels of the facility are revealed. On one level, Sebastian clearly makes out humvees and other military vehicles. On another level, hundreds of armored tanks. Another level, fighter jets. Further still, stealth bombers. Level after level has enough military equipment to take over the entire world.

”What is all of this?” Sebastian asks in a tone that suggests he can't believe what he's seeing.

”This, my Brother,” Theo says. “Is your ad victoriam.”

”My path to victory,” Sebastian repeats in English.

The elevator entrance comes to a stop at an enclosed steel door, similar to a vault. It has no windows, so whatever lies behind it, has Sebastian's curiosity at a peak level. Theo slides the card along a reader next to the vault door and pushes the heavy door inward away from them. What is revealed to Sebastian is a long corridor that stretches as far as the eye can see. Within that long and extremely wide corridor that you could fit a jumbo jet in, causes the King of Darkness to nearly become overjoyed. Going about their business is thousands upon thousands of genetically engineered Nazi German soldiers.

”What are they doing?” Sebastian inquires as he and Theo step through the vault door.

”I've ordered them to make their new arm bands,” he replies. Sebastian looks at him with a look of confusion upon his face. “I had them cloned for Idenhaus, but you know how that turned out. They're replacing their Nazi arm bands with that of the Illuminatus logo. The encircled pentagram with the upside down cross.”

”How many?” he asks as they walk down the corridor.

”There's a quarter million foot soldiers,” Theo replies. “Along with about a hundred thousand highly trained and highly lethal SS soldiers. And they all await your command.”

One of the many commanders of this elite military unit notice Theo and Sebastian and yells out ”Achtung!” The thousands upon thousands of soldiers stand at attention, saluting their new leader.

”Sie waren!” he commands, and the soldiers return to their tasks. “Dude, German?” he asks of Theo.

”Short notice,” Theo replies. “They're scheduled to be reprogrammed with Latin as their dialect tomorrow.”

”I really don't know what to say about all of this,” Sebastian says.

”What's to say?” Theo asks rhetorically. “This entire facility and everything in it was going to go to waste anyhow. At least now all my hard work will be put to some good use.”

”It's incredible, really.”

”This facility,” Theo starts. “Is roughly the same size as Death Valley itself. You have the most advanced super equipment. Radar, sonar, infrared, all of the detection equipment you could need. Orbital satellites, an elite command center with best in class encryption and decryption machines.

“I think Matthew will absolutely love that shit.

“You could literally sit here, never lift a finger, and conquer the world if you wanted to,” Theo concludes.

”It seems like I might have more than I need. After all, I only want to take what I need until I seize the Vatican. After that, all of those lands that I conquer will be returned to their rightful owners,” he says convincingly.

”To each his own,” Theo says as he shrugs. “Trust me, Brother, if you wanted to conquer the world, there's no military in the world that has as advanced equipment as you now possess, except maybe the United States of course.”

”I'm completely shocked,” Sebastian says. “I never imagined this in my wildest fantasies.”

”Iter petentes, regni nostri de jure et inconstantiam in circuitu tuo.”
(The path to claiming the throne which is rightfully ours, lies all around you.)

”Ita fit, Venerabiles Fratres,” he replies.
(Indeed it does, dear Brother.)

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