would you be willing to give up your wife and your son? Would you sacrifice your young family for the emperor, if he asked?"
"I... Yes, of course. If that was what the emperor asked of me."
"You hesitated before answering my question."
"It is difficult, being asked to sacrifice a son you have not met yet."
"It's better you do not know him. It may make the loss a little easier."
"Loss? But you said he was fit and healthy-"
"He is, as is your beautiful wife. I am not asking you to sacrifice their lives."
"Then what, sir?"
"Drink your sake first," the general suggested.
"Please, sir, I need to know-"
"Drink it," Tojo snarled.
Hitori snatched at the tumbler, raising it to his lips. Then he stopped to stare into the clear, colourless liquid, as if afraid the sake might contain some deadly substance. The general arched an eyebrow at his subordinate, and Hitori emptied the sake into his mouth, swallowing the warm liquid with a grimace. He put the porcelain tumbler back down on the table and waited, but nothing happened.
"Did you think I had poisoned you?" Tojo asked, laughter in his voice.
"I wasn't sure," Hitori admitted.
"But you drank it anyway. Very good, I like a man who can follow orders, even if he believes those orders may cost him his life." The general swallowed his own sake, licking his lips appreciatively at the taste. "It is not that I wish you to sacrifice your life for the emperor - quite the opposite in fact. But I'm sorry to say that you can never see your family again after today. They will be told you were killed in Manchuria, a warrior's death, of course. They will be well compensated for your loss and can be proud of your heroic sacrifice. But you will not die today, at least, not in any conventional sense."
The young officer shook his head. "You speak in riddles, general."
"I'd have thought you'd be used to them after so long in China."
"Be that as it may, please tell me what you wish."
"You said you would willingly give your life for the emperor, Hitori. Would you also willingly give up your soul?"
"My soul?"
Tojo rose from his chair and clapped his hands. "You can come in now," he called out. Hitori turned towards the double doors through which he had entered earlier, but nobody came in. Instead a thin white mist crept beneath the door, forming into a pale, translucent cloud inside the office. The mist solidified, slowly merging into the figure of a man. As the fog became flesh, a familiar face appeared within it: Lord Constanta of Rumania. He smiled at the young officer, making no effort to conceal the prominent fangs that protruded from his upper jaw. Hitori sprang up to put himself between the apparition and Tojo, protecting the general from the supernatural wraith. He spat a crude curse at the fearful visage as it coalesced before his amazed eyes.
"You need not fear our guest," Tojo said, moving across the room to stand beside the creature from Transylvania. The general smiled at Hitori like a kindly father. "I seem to recall you two have met before, in Berlin. Lord Constanta is what the Nazis call a vampyr, a blood drinker, a creature of the night, if you will."
"We prefer to think of ourselves as favoured sons of the Sire," the Rumanian interjected, plainly enjoying the fear and disbelief on Hitori's face.
The general clapped a hand on Constanta's right shoulder. "Take a good look at his lordship, Zenji. You will become like him. You are my first recruit for a new covert division. You will lead the Imperial Japanese Army Vampyr Unit."
REPORT ON U.S. READINESS FOR WAR
In accordance with orders, we have infiltrated the island of Oahu and established our presence within the downtown sector of Honolulu city. Occupation of the safe house has been secured without incident and our new identities as siblings went unquestioned by the authorities. The cover story about our 'uncle' was not challenged, nor his abrupt disappearance. Both Hawaiian natives and Americans from the
"I... Yes, of course. If that was what the emperor asked of me."
"You hesitated before answering my question."
"It is difficult, being asked to sacrifice a son you have not met yet."
"It's better you do not know him. It may make the loss a little easier."
"Loss? But you said he was fit and healthy-"
"He is, as is your beautiful wife. I am not asking you to sacrifice their lives."
"Then what, sir?"
"Drink your sake first," the general suggested.
"Please, sir, I need to know-"
"Drink it," Tojo snarled.
Hitori snatched at the tumbler, raising it to his lips. Then he stopped to stare into the clear, colourless liquid, as if afraid the sake might contain some deadly substance. The general arched an eyebrow at his subordinate, and Hitori emptied the sake into his mouth, swallowing the warm liquid with a grimace. He put the porcelain tumbler back down on the table and waited, but nothing happened.
"Did you think I had poisoned you?" Tojo asked, laughter in his voice.
"I wasn't sure," Hitori admitted.
"But you drank it anyway. Very good, I like a man who can follow orders, even if he believes those orders may cost him his life." The general swallowed his own sake, licking his lips appreciatively at the taste. "It is not that I wish you to sacrifice your life for the emperor - quite the opposite in fact. But I'm sorry to say that you can never see your family again after today. They will be told you were killed in Manchuria, a warrior's death, of course. They will be well compensated for your loss and can be proud of your heroic sacrifice. But you will not die today, at least, not in any conventional sense."
The young officer shook his head. "You speak in riddles, general."
"I'd have thought you'd be used to them after so long in China."
"Be that as it may, please tell me what you wish."
"You said you would willingly give your life for the emperor, Hitori. Would you also willingly give up your soul?"
"My soul?"
Tojo rose from his chair and clapped his hands. "You can come in now," he called out. Hitori turned towards the double doors through which he had entered earlier, but nobody came in. Instead a thin white mist crept beneath the door, forming into a pale, translucent cloud inside the office. The mist solidified, slowly merging into the figure of a man. As the fog became flesh, a familiar face appeared within it: Lord Constanta of Rumania. He smiled at the young officer, making no effort to conceal the prominent fangs that protruded from his upper jaw. Hitori sprang up to put himself between the apparition and Tojo, protecting the general from the supernatural wraith. He spat a crude curse at the fearful visage as it coalesced before his amazed eyes.
"You need not fear our guest," Tojo said, moving across the room to stand beside the creature from Transylvania. The general smiled at Hitori like a kindly father. "I seem to recall you two have met before, in Berlin. Lord Constanta is what the Nazis call a vampyr, a blood drinker, a creature of the night, if you will."
"We prefer to think of ourselves as favoured sons of the Sire," the Rumanian interjected, plainly enjoying the fear and disbelief on Hitori's face.
The general clapped a hand on Constanta's right shoulder. "Take a good look at his lordship, Zenji. You will become like him. You are my first recruit for a new covert division. You will lead the Imperial Japanese Army Vampyr Unit."
REPORT ON U.S. READINESS FOR WAR
In accordance with orders, we have infiltrated the island of Oahu and established our presence within the downtown sector of Honolulu city. Occupation of the safe house has been secured without incident and our new identities as siblings went unquestioned by the authorities. The cover story about our 'uncle' was not challenged, nor his abrupt disappearance. Both Hawaiian natives and Americans from the
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