Apocalypse Rising Read Online Free PDF

place where armies might meet and Albert was a general of unparalleled ability. He knew exactly how to create an environment that gave him every advantage and left his opponents with none.
    "The end result is all that matters here gentlemen. If we cannot get control of Hitaratsu this week it will end up costing us millions extra when we have to make the takeover hostile. Now get out there and make this happen." The small crowd of men in business suits got up and headed for the large, ironbound, doors that lead to the elevators. "Jeremy, make sure you send those prototypes to General Perez today. It will make for a nice test run before we start the first production run."
    "Should I scrub them first?"
    "Yes, but not too hard."
    Jeremy nodded and followed after all the rest. Albert stood and waited until the doors closed before turning to Haden. "Did you find them?" The words came out calm and quiet. It was never a good sign.
    "I have Hector and his bunch hunting them down for now. I was able to get the number off the cab they hopped so the boys should be able to find them soon enough."
    Albert straightened his suit and circled the couches to the open space in the center of his office. He stopped well short of Haden. "Why did you send Hector when you know how important it is to catch those two?"
    "Now, Albert, you know I wouldn't have left something so important to someone else unless I had a very good reason." Haden strolled about the space casually, confident in his understanding of Albert.
    "So then tell me, Haden what was so important that you left chasing down those two to Hector and risked my displeasure?" His tone never changed, always that steady, calm and dangerous pitch that left strong men weak with fear for reasons they could not fully understand, but Haden was not a man.
    Haden strolled to a little bar nearby and poured himself a scotch before speaking. "One of them is a servant of the light."
    Albert stood still, allowing the words to roll around in his mind for a moment or two before speaking. "You are certain?"
    "Most definitely, I saw the Touch about him as they drove away. He is a weak one, definitely one of the lowest orders, but still one of the blessed."
    "Was it the boy or the girl?"
    "I'm not sure to be honest." Haden stepped away from the bar still holding his drink. "They were already in the cab and I caught the glow from the back seat, so I know it was not the cabbie."
    "Well this certainly is an interesting development isn't it?" Albert walked to the bar, poured himself a scotch and knocked it back, letting the warm burn of it glide down his throat. "This does provide us with a bit of an opportunity though."
    "Opportunity?"
    "Certainly" Albert leisurely walked across the room toward his desk. "If we can capture this underling there are rites we can perform that will provide some measure of protection or act as an early warning system at the worst."
    "I've not heard of such rites," offered Haden. His knowledge of such things was extensive and he was suspicious of rituals he was unfamiliar with.
    "Really? That surprises me, Haden. I thought there was nothing about the dark arts that you hadn't already learned." The sarcasm clung to the words thickly. "I found the rites hidden within a translation of some lead bound copper plates found in a cave outside of Damascus. Their discovery has not been announced yet and it never will be. They are really quite fascinating. Their discovery would set the whole world on its head if they were taken seriously."
    "Why wouldn't they be taken seriously?" Haden's desire to see the plates was overwhelming, but it was not something he would not let Albert know.
    "Because my, Haden, I control the media, and if anyone tried to share it with the public they would be brought before the masses and ripped apart." Albert paused for a second, turned to Haden and said, "Figuratively of course. People believe the shit I feed them on the television and the web. They do not question,