Castlevania: Finale Chapter 5 Infernal machine ---------------------------------------------------- A large room at the base of clock tower. Three doors opened through those seperate doors stepped Carrie, Griffen, and Alucard. They approached each other and met in the center near a large steel plate in the floor. Alucard began to speak but was interupted by the sound of machines. The plate in the floor slid aside revealing a deep shaft. through this shaft emerged a platform carrying Simon who stepped off and into the room. "Why the bloody hell didn't you tell us there was an elevator simon?" asked Griffen. Alucard rushed to Simon's side as he fell to his knees. "I didn't think I would make it this far. I may survive yet." Said Simon. Alucard looked to Griffen and spoke. "That warewolf that bit him earlier. It was a vampire that had changed its shape. Simon is infected by the vampire's curse. A normal human would have changed by now but there is a power protecting Simon." Alucard Said. "I knew my own power would keep me from changing temporarilly. But I thought it would only be long enough to put some distance between you and myself so as I wouldnt' endanger you as a vampire. But some power drew me here." Simon said as he looked at Carrie. "Why are you staring at me?" Carrie asked sounding slightly annoyed. "It was you wasn't it? You're power is the same as mine. I thought I was the only one left but....You're a Fernandez aren't you?" Simon asked. "I'm...I supose I am." Carrie said. Alucard thought this was a good time for everyone to exchange stories. Some time later after Alucard, Carrie, and Griffen had shared their experiances Simon spoke up. "So you're a clone of my grandmother. Remarkable that the Fernandez power is in you and every bit as strong as her's." "So Carrie Fernandez was your grandmother?" asked Griffen. "Yes that was her. During the second world war she met my grandfather Ellie. Together they survived the hollocost. And it's also where where My grandmother first met Fallenstein. It's no wonder he hates you so much Carrie. Your original disfigured him quite badly." Simon explained. "Fallenstein created me and he somehow sees me as being the same Carrie who did that to him? It doesn't make any sense." Carrie said looking depressed. "Fallenstein doesn't make sense" said Griffen commenting from his own encounter with Fallenstein. "Carrie you understand that you are central to Dracula's plan. we should get you as far from the castle as possible" Said Allucard. Carrie shook her head in the negative. "No I'm going to fight Dracula. If everything you said is true then it will take both the Fernandez and the Belmont bloodlines to defeat Dracula this time. I don't care what Dracula made me for I still have a duty to carry out. I'm still Carrie Fernandez." Carrie said with determination. Griffen gestured to Simon. "excuse me but we already have a Fernandez here." "His power is next to useless untill the vamiprisim is removed from him." Said Carrie. "Is that right?" Asked Griffen. Simon nodded in the affirmative. "Bloody fuck" Simon replied. Carrie looked up the extent of the tower. "I think we should get moving. We don't have long untill Dracula is back to full power." Alucard looked up as well. "My father is already aware of our approach. He will try to stop us. And if my guess is correct I still will be encountering some old friends." Simon and Griffen started up a long winding staircase. Carrie began to follow but was stopped by Alucard. "You're staying with me. My father will try to take you back." Alucard took Carrie in his arms and lept upward onto a platform attached to the outer wall a good way above then jumped to another and another repeating this untill he was clear from sight. Griffen and Simon climbed as best they could avoiding weak points in the starway where it crumbled beneth their feet. Griffen jumped over a Gap while Simon came to a stop and drew his gun. Out of nowhere what looked like a severed head with a crop of snakes for hair flew out at Griffen knocking him out of the air. Simon barely managed to sieze the ledge and before he was able to pull himself up spotted several more of these head coming at him. A few shots sounded off as the heads split open in bursts of bloody and writhing snakes and fell below into the darkness. Griffen pulled himself up and drew his whip dispatching a few more heads while Simon made the jump. "What the bloody hell are these things?" Asked Griffen. "Madusa heads. Stories of the Belmonts call them the most annoying of all creatures to inhabit the castle." Simon answered. "How many do we have to kill before they stop coming" "They don't stop coming Just run." Said simon as he dashed up the stairs with Griffen following quickly behind. A few more jumps and countless more Madusa heads and the two had reached a doorway. The steel doors slid open after Simon worked an old rusty lever. Stepping through Griffen's jaw dropped as before him was an endless expanse of enormous turning gears with no solid flooring in sight. "Get ready to jump" Said Simon preparing for a jump Griffen extended his arm stopping Simon. "THOSE ARE FUCKING GEARS YOU LOON!" Griffen exclaimed. "So? do you want me to recite a list of Belmonts that did it before you?" "Well I'm not exactly a great and mightly fucking legend like the others were." "Stop whining and jump. Said Simon as he pushed Griffen down to the first moving Gear. Griffen landed on his feet and seeing himself moving for another gear and not desiring to be ground into a pulp jumped over to the next gear and then to another and another then jumping over a vast expanse and swinging his whip in mid jump attaching it to a turning shaft waited for it to slowly wind up around the shaft pulling him up another level. Above Griffen balancing on the shaft walked back to the other side and once on a stable platform lowered his whip down to Simon who climbed up. Simon looked to the side to see a chain slowly rising upward with another simillar chain lowering parallell to it. He grabbed on wint Griffen doing likewise. Both souls hung for life by the chain as they slowly raised up the long clock tower. both at the top of the tower disembarked on the shaft around which the chain was turning and performing another balancing act walked over the shaft. They crossed over the top of the wall deviding the halves of the tower they had been in. Looking down griffen could see not only all the clockwork he had scaled but also the long broken staircase That Alucard was still scaling. Having crossed the shaftBoth stepped out through a door and found themselves on the face of the clock. The second hand moved across the door and Simon taking the innitiative grabbed on. He hung there waiting utnill it passed the hour hand which aw well into the eleventh hour. He released the second hand and landed on the wide surface of the hour hand in the indention of a gothic inward curve that provided a place to stand even at this sharp angle. Simon looked back to see Griffen coming up and landing beside him. Griffen swung his whip up to the roman XII and pulled himself up onto the massive carved numeral. Barely enough room on it for he and simon to cling. Griffen then using his whip again swung for the first ledge of the spired roof of the clock tower. His whip found a place to hang and he followd by griffen climbed up. The roof was a steep slope, hard to keep footing on. Slowly they worked their way around the ledge finding a below them a long stairway with seemingly no manner of support which led across a vast expanse leading to the castle keep where Dracula would be waiting. Griffen secured his whip and slid down to a secure footing on the long staircase followed by Simon. They looked up to the stairway that ascended into the clouds. "Damn Dracula doesn't do anything in moderation does he." Griffen comments. A grinding sound emited from behind the pair as they observed a door open and through it walk Alucard who sets Carrie down on the staircase. "What kept you two." Said Griffen. "Does he ever shut up?" Alucard asks Simon. "At least he's confident now." Simon replied. The four heroes made their way up the long staircase. Eventually reaching a small keep at the top of a long narrow stone tower. The stairs seemed to go on forever. They ascended into the clouds passing through rain and emerging above them and below antoher thick blanket of black clouds. Finally among those clouds they could see it. Perched atop a long naorrow pillar of stone was the castle keep. They all could feel the evil force emmanating from it. Another set of steps sounded above the rain. A figure obscured in the mist approached. His trench coat and hair blew in the wind. When he came close enough his white porcilin mask gave his identity away. Fallenstein. "I thought you were dead" said Carrie and Griffen Simultaniously. Fallenstein grinned showing his fangs. "I'm hard to kill. And you're just makingit harder on yourself you little bitch." Fallenstein said as he continued to walk down the steps toward the party. He pulled off his coat and from it took a syring then threw his coat down into the abyss below. Shortly flollowing he removed his mask and threw it away as well dawning a new mask of leather and over that a pair of red tinted goggles. He pushed to needle into his arm and held his thumb over the plunger. "While I worked with Hitler I learned a number of things. Did you ever hear of the super soldier program? This steroid is the end result. Now get ready to die all of you! I'll have my revenge! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Fallenstein laughed like a maniac as he pumped the green chemical into his veins. Fallenstein's muscles pumped up and his shirt titghtened under their bulk and ripped open revealing a bullet proof vest which also stretched uner the girth. Fallenstein snarled and rushed down the stairway at the heroes. He knocked Simon off the edge. Fortunately Simon caugth the ledge. Fallenstein then swatted at Alucard who was pushed off the edge. In a puff of smoke Alucard turned himself into a bat. He tried to find a safe foothold back on the stairway but couldn't get in with Fallenstein swatting at him Griffen was doing his best to whip at Fallenstein and keep him back. Griffen flipped up in the air over Fallenstein's head and swung his whip around Fallenstein's neck Fallenstein grabbed the weapon and swung it turning Griffen in cirles around Fallenstein. Despite this Griffen wouldn't let go. Alucard flew back down the staircase some distance and returned to his normal form. Drawing his sword Alucard dashed back up and drew his sword. Ducking under the swinging Griffen Alucard laid his sword into Fallenstein's side. Carrie standing at a safe distance chanted for a moment then drew up a ball of magical power into her hands. She hurled it into Fallenstein but found it had little effect much like Alucard's sword. "YOU CAN'T BURN ME NOW YOU LITTLE BITCH! TAKE THIS!" Fallenstein screamed as he swung Griffen into Alucard knocking both of them over the side. Simon who was still hanging on caught Griffen's hand as Alucard re transformed himself into a bat. Carrie stood alone as he allies were trapped hanging over an massive void below. "Now what are you going to do bitch? No one to save you now." Said fallenstein as he opened his mouth wide and extended his fangs. Carrie chanted another spell and hurled it at Fallenstein. She tried another spell again finding it non effective. Fallenstein thrust his hand down and closed it around carriei's tender neck and lifted her off her feet. Carrie couldn't breath well enough to chant a spell and found herself deffenseless against Fallenstein. But before Fallenstein could do any more he found Griffen's whip across his back and Allucard slashing at him like a mad man. "These pathetic attacks won't harm me now." Simon from a distance further up the stairs fired a round off at Fallenstein. Fallenstein looked up. Simon snarled showing a pointed fang. Simon lept up high into the air higher than any human could have and somehow directed his descent toward fallenstein. Inverting himself in mid air Simon ended up directly above fallenstein. Simon seemed to stop in mid air. Simon drew out his gun an placed it in the center of Fallenstein's forehead and fired it off at point blank range. The shot rang out as Simon landed on his feet by Carrie's side. Fallenstein extended his arms to his sides palms facing the sky and froze in place. Fallenstein was silent. Then blood gushed from the wound where the bullet entered and where it exited below it poured over the bullethole in the staircase below. Over Fallenstein's face it spread in tiny rivers and flowed over his face and down his body. It looked like a statue almost. Fallesntein; dead on his feet. There was only the sound of the pouring rain and the occasional thunder as everyone looked on half expecting Fallensteint o move and renew his attack A flash of lightning shot across the sky accompanied by the rumble of thunder. Seemingly as if this triggered it Fallenstein's figure turned to dust and blew away like an hill of sand in a hard wind. In few seconds nothing remained. A long silence fell over everyone as Carrie, Griffen, and Alucard turned to look at Simon. Simon approached them. "My body has begun transforming. right now I'm still in controll. It's probably because Carrie's power is increasing my deffenses." Simon said. Simon stepped closer to Griffen and looked him directly in the eye with great urgency. "But if I lose controll you must not hesitate to kill me!" Griffen swollowed and didn't offer an answer but instead turned and began to walk toward the castle keep. Simon understood and followed. Alucard too followed as Carrie stood behind for a moment. She looked back to where Fallaenstein had been defeated. "I'm.....free." she said before looking over to the castle keep. She knew now what she had to do. Carrie joined the others as they approached the castle keep where they would face the ultimate darkness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------