The Captive
Part 1/5
By Emily M. Hanson
Disclaimers: Forever Knight is owned by Sony. I’m not making any profit from this. Permission is given to the FTP site to archive, and whoever else wants to archive it.
This story was beta read by David Duncan, whose comments were very helpful, as always.
* * * * *
The captive opened her eyes slowly. Hunger gnawed at her. She had not feed well for weeks. The scientist, Erik Amundsen, gave her several small white rats per day, but that was not enough for a vampire to feed on. Even a carouche would eat more. The captive was both restless and weary. Her "apartment" was nothing more than a cot, sink, chair and toilet. Truly, it was more like a prison cell than anything else.
Amundsen had done many experiments on her, during the course of which, the captive had forgotten her own name. The scientist referred to her as “Jane Doe.†Each time she tried to escape, a trap was triggered by different means. Noxious garlic fumes rendered her helpless, and the scientist calmly escorted Jane back to her cell. He carried a needle filled with curare at all times, and wore a crucifix as well. Amundsen also had a cigarette lighter, though he didn't smoke.
Jane sat up on the cot and stretched out, physically as well as with her senses. The only sounds that could be heard were the tiny heartbeats of mice scuffling around in their cages. She forced the door open and peered around the corner. Moonlight shone through an open window. Surely Amundsen wasn't being that careless, unless he was drunk. She'd seen him intoxicated several times. Strangely, his experiments under the influence of alcohol were less cruel than when he was sober, as if the intoxication blunted his creativity. Perhaps this was an experiment to see how far she could make it to the window.
The captive tensed, and then, took a step forward. So far, so good. She glanced around the room. Nothing obvious presented itself as a threat. Jane took another step forward. Suddenly, the pangs of hunger made her stop. She glanced towards the cage. It might be a good idea to grab a bite first. She would deal with whatever trial the scientist had set up for her on a full stomach. The captive removed the top from the cage and snatched up a plump, juicy mouse. After draining it and several more, Jane approached the window.
Getting ready to fly (how long had it been since she'd last flown?) the captive glanced outside. The night was inviting, the cool fresh air seemed like air from paradise, compared to the stuffy lab. Jane missed seeing a tripwire as she flew up. Suddenly, the window slammed shut and a loud alarm went off. The vampire growled and smashed her fist through the window. She would fly free tonight. No matter what, she would be free of Amundsen and his cruel, humiliating experiments.
Suddenly, the door opened. Amundsen was back. Erik's eyes widened as he saw Jane standing next to the smashed window. Her eyes were golden and her fangs were fully extended. Taking a deep breath, the scientist said, "Jane, please calm down."
"No!" She growled. "I will not calm down. You have controlled me for too long."
"If you are on good behavior for the next two days, you'll get a reward."
"What? A puny mouse, with no more than a few drops of blood to sustain me?"
"I will tell you your name."
Jane's eyes narrowed as she tried to discern whether the scientist was lying. Surely he had the knowledge, but would he really give it up? He struck her as one who hoarded information, as some would amass wealth. Jane had not seen any colleagues since she'd been his prisoner. Who was he sharing the data with that he'd gained from his research on her? Did anyone else know that Amundsen held her captive? Deciding that the scientist was most likely being dishonest, Jane said, "No."
"What?"
"I said, no."
Amundsen scowled. He held up the curare-filled needle. "Don't make me use this. I don't want to hurt you."
A strangled laugh escaped from Jane's throat. "Then why do you hold me against my will?"
"You're very special, Jane. I made you -- not as a vampire, of course, but your new talents were created by me. Don't forget that. Other vampires might try to kill you, since they cannot have your gifts. You're only safe here with me."
Jane had heard enough. Baring fangs, she hissed. Her pent-up anger was a raging river, and her controlling dam was starting to crack.
Amundsen felt himself rise off the floor. His subject was using her newly acquired abilities, and very well at that. "You have exceeded my wildest expectations, Jane, but you must stop now!" He plunged the curare needle into her shoulder.
The vampire gasped in pain. Fighting the poison required releasing her telekinetic hold. The scientist slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground. Jane stumbled towards the window. Still struggling against the curare's effects, she took off. It was not very long before she grew tired of flying. Weakly, she leaned against a building, her muddled thoughts beginning to drift.
"Ma'am, are you all right?"
The sound of a voice jarred her back to reality. She saw a policeman standing in front of her, looking concerned. He looked 26 or 27.
"I'm okay."
Lt. Tom Allen gazed up at the woman. Her skin was pale, yet sweat rolled down her forehead. Her eyes were gazed over, as if she was under the effects of a drug. Her voice was wavering. He reached out a hand. "Let me help you. I can take you to a doctor."
"No doctors." Jane's control slipped then, and she knew the mortal had seen her fangs. "You must forget you have seen me." Surely the Enforcers would kill her, if they found out about her mistake. That memory had just resurfaced.
Lt. Allen shook his head. The vampire was trying to hypnotize him, but not doing a very good job of it. Since she was trying to hypnotize him at all, the lieutenant wondered if she didn't know about the Enforcers' demise. How was that possible? It had been international news over six months ago. Surely everyone knew by now. Possibly the drug, or illness, was causing her to forget. But what could do that? The only substance known to affect vampires was curare.
"It's all right, I know. We all know," Lt. Allen said.
"What?" she gasped incredulously. Had the scientist leaked his findings of her to the press?
"Surely you've heard that your Elders destroyed the Enforcers?†Allen continued.
"No." Jane shook her head to clear her groggy mind. "No, I didn't. I've been a bit tied up for a while." Trying to think under the curare’s effects was not working, and she felt like her head had been split with a saw. Wincing, she looked down.
"Are you sure you're all right? I know you people heal pretty fast, but if I can help, I would be happy to."
"I was injected with curare. It'll wear off." Jane was sliding to the ground slowly. "Just...need to sleep."
Lt. Allen's eyes widened, and he spun around. His partner was coming out of a nearby Chinese takeout place. "Bill, this woman needs medical attention!"
"What happened, Tom?"
"She got shot with curare. She's a vampire."
"Okay. I'll call an ambulance. Stay here." Officer Johnson went to the squad car.
Lt. Allen waited. He noticed one very odd thing about the vampire that he hadn't noticed while she was leaning against the wall, and only because she was slumped over now: there were various marks on the base of her neck that did not look like fang marks at all. They looked like needle marks. It didn't make any sense. Vampires didn't do drugs because they couldn't be addicted to them, and besides, addicts didn't use the backs of their heads to shoot up. Also, the marks were at such an odd angle that someone else would have made them.
Officer Johnson climbed out of the vehicle. "An ambulance is on its way."
"Bill, come take a look at this."
"What?"
"Look at the back of her neck, near the base of the skull."
"Needle marks? That's strange. I wonder why they aren't healed yet."
"Good question."
Officer Johnson straightened as an ambulance wailed in the distance. "We'll find that out soon enough."
* * * * *
Jane awoke to a bright light shining in her face. She nearly panicked, thinking that Amundsen had somehow found her, until the voice of a nearby mortal calmed her.
"Relax, you're in the hospital." Somehow sensing that the patient needed more reassurance than usual, the nurse added, "No one will hurt you. My name is Sally Winters, but everyone calls me Nurse Sally."
A sigh of relief escaped from Jane's lips. Amundsen was not going to inject her with another strange serum, or threaten her with starvation. He wasn't going to cause any more harm.
"You were injected with curare, at three times the dosage required to cause paralysis in a thousand-year-old vampire. I'm amazed you're recovering so well. Either you're an Elder, or just very lucky," the nurse continued.
"I'm not that old."
"How old are you?" Nurse Sally asked, blushing slightly. "If you don't mind me asking."
"I can't remember my exact age, name, address, or anything like that. I do know that I'm not an Elder."
The human woman looked astonished. "How is this possible?"
"Science," Jane replied bitterly, and then, told the woman about Amundsen's experiments.
Nurse Sally touched Jane's arm gently. "There is a special police department for dealing with things like this. Perhaps they will be able to help you."
"A special police department? I thought the Enforcers weren't around anymore."
"No, it's part of the Toronto PD. You might be interested to know that it is run by a vampire and a werewolf. I'll report your case tonight. You should really stay a while longer until your strength is back. I'll have one of the assistants drop off a few blood packs."
"Thank you," Jane smiled for the first time in months. The mortal's kindness impressed her. She hadn't thought any of them would have shown compassion toward a vampire, knowing the truth.
* * * * *
End of Part 1
Part 2
Nick received the phone call from the hospital and listened while the nurse told him about her patient, an amnesiac vampire who had been considerably abused in the name of science. Possibly, the victim was kidnapped in the first place, but how would a mortal take a vampire against her will? Kidnapping seemed unlikely. Since Tracy Vetter and Javier Vachon were out investigating another case, and Don Schanke had the night off to attend his daughter's basketball tournament, Nick decided that he would go to the hospital himself.
* * * * *
Jane felt the presence of another vampire as Nick walked in, escorted by an assistant. Nurse Sally had left to tend other patients. Jane sensed that the blond vampire was considerably older than she.
"Miss Doe, this is Captain Knight. He would like to ask you some questions."
"Of course."
Nick recognized "Miss Doe" with a shock. She was a fledgling who had recently disappeared. Janette, not usually one to worry about fledglings, filed the missing persons report herself. Melissa Stark's family was killed by Enforcers the night vampires were revealed to the world. The Enforcers left her for dead, but she came across. Because she had friends among the fledglings at the Raven, Melissa went there first. She hadn't known any of them were vampires; finding out had been a small shock, according to Janette.
The sense of power was also a surprise. As a fledgling, Melissa should barely have been a blip on the radar. However, the amount of power Nick sensed would normally come from a vampire as old as LaCroix, or older. It was very odd, to say the least.
"You seem familiar," Jane said. "Do I know you?"
Nick nodded. "Does the name “Nick Knight†ring a bell?"
Jane shook her head.
"What about Nicholas de Brabant?"
It did spark a memory. "Yes, that sounds right. Please tell me you know my name." Jane Doe looked hopeful.
"Melissa Stark. You can call me Nick."
A blood-red tear welled up in the female vampire's eye. "Thank you, Nick. I couldn't remember. That ******* made me forget everything."
Knight pulled up a chair and sat by her bed. "Tell me about him. What did he do to you?"
"Horrible things, experiments, like I was some sort of guinea pig and not a person. He locked me in a room. There were all sorts of booby traps that would go off if I escaped, usually they'd release garlic fumes. Once I triggered something, and it was in the middle of the day, and the windows opened. I barely made it back to my cell."
Nick shuddered inside. If that was true, and he had no reason to believe otherwise, Melissa's escape was remarkable. Amundsen sounded like an overgrown bully who had only become crueler with age. "Do you know what he was trying to learn?"
"Amundsen never told me. I just figured he wanted to know what makes me tick. I think he succeeded in some of his experiments."
"Why do you say that?"
"He was able to make me forget something. Also, he did things that changed me inside, somehow. It is hard to explain, but I can show you."
Knight watched in growing astonishment as Melissa looked at an empty paper cup on the shelf nearby. The cup levitated off the shelf and into her hand. "There was a time when he injected me nearly every day with a serum. I think that it was what changed me. I can't think of anything else that would have done it, unless it happened before I lost my memory."
"Ok. Where was he holding you?"
Melissa described the building. Because she was under the influence of curare when she'd escaped, and it was affecting her memories, she couldn't tell him where Amundsen's lab was.
"Nick," Melissa asked, "do I have a family?"
"As far as I know, they were killed." He told her about the Enforcers and Janette. "I'll run a background check and see if you have any relatives living elsewhere."
She smiled. "That would be great. Thanks."
"Just doing my job. I'll let Janette know you're ok. I'm sure she'll let you stay at the Raven."
"How old am I?"
"Since you're a fledgling, I'd guess 22 or 23. You seem older, a lot older, but I can't put my finger on it."
"The experiments," Melissa replied.
"Yeah, probably. Take it easy."
* * * * *
Nick spent the better part of the night running background checks. Erik Amundsen's only crime on record was a speeding ticket he'd gotten in 1992. Other than that, his slate was clean. Knight had to call Aristotle to get information on Melissa, since she wasn't turning up in any computer files. The computer wizard told him the fledgling had a cousin in New York City, but that was it.
Finally, Nick pinned down Melissa's location to a four-block radius, according to the descriptions that Lt. Allen and Officer Johnson had given. She couldn't have flown much farther under the curare's effects. He spent several hours searching directories for certain buildings within that radius and came up with two possible options. One building was an abandoned warehouse, the other was a building owned by a pharmaceutical company, which only had offices on the top five floors. The other office spaces were rented out. Nick called to get search warrants for both buildings, and was told he wouldn't be able to have them until the next day at least, because the employee who issued them was out sick with the flu.
* * * * *
It was nearly dawn when Nick drove over to the Coroner's office to pick up Natalie Lambert. She and Grace were talking over a cup of coffee and giggling over a catalog of wedding apparel.
"Oh, now I can just see you in this, Grace," Nat said. She gestured to a very short, slim cut, fire-engine red satin dress that was sleeveless and strapless. The model was also wearing six-inch high heels.
"Very funny."
"No, really."
"Girlfriend, I hope you're not serious. I am not going to wear that to your wedding!" Grace said.
"Can you imagine what would happen?"
"Everybody would think we were abducted by aliens."
"They'd gossip about it for weeks."
"I kind of like that dress," Nick said, grinning mischievously.
Natalie burst out laughing. "You would. So what do you think, Nick? We liked this one..." she turned the page to a picture of a gown that was somewhat Victorian looking, but still modern. It was sapphire blue with long sleeves and a long, flowing skirt.
"It's not bad. Honestly, I don't know much about women's fashion. It's hard enough to keep up to date with men's styles. Whatever you decide on, I'll be happy with."
"Really?" Nat said, with a gleam in her eye. She turned the page and pointed to a smiling man wearing a pastel pink tuxedo and a carnation corsage. The male model was cute, but pink wasn't Nick's best color. And she doubted that Schanke, the best man, would willingly wear it. "How about this?" She said, with an absolutely straight face.
Grace held back a giggle. It was just too hilarious to imagine the Knightmare wearing a pink penguin suit. He was much too pale for the color, even though he'd been spending some time in the sun, thanks to the Phoenix Ring he'd received from the dragon, Xing Long. Not to mention, they'd probably have to inject him with curare to get him into the tuxedo.
Nick gaped at her. "You're not serious, are you?" He asked. *Please, let her not be serious...*
Natalie smiled. "Of course not, dear. I just had to see the look on your face."
The blonde vampire looked very much relieved. "Ah. Want to go for breakfast?"
"Sure. Grace, I'm going to leave this here. Have a good day."
"You, too."
* * * * *
End of Part 2
Part 3
Melissa found it hard to sleep through the day. She had headaches which increased in frequency each time. She was able to read the thoughts of nurses who stopped in to check on her. Melissa could tell they were nervous about her being a vampire, though no one actually mentioned it. The nurses replaced her drained blood packs while she slept. For the first time in months, she had enough food. The fledgling finally fell asleep around 1:00 in the afternoon.
* * * * *
Nick had not been able to tell Janette much when they talked on the phone earlier during the day, except that Melissa had strange new abilities. Entering the fledgling's room, Janette was stunned by the sensation of power. It did not seem possible that a fledgling could feel like an Elder, but that was exactly how Janette sensed it. The young woman stirred on her bed and opened her eyes.
"Hello," Melissa said, a bit sleepily. It was just after 7:00 in the evening.
"I am Janette DuCharme. Perhaps you remember me from the Raven?"
The fledgling shook her head. "Nick told me about you, but I honestly don't recall. I hope my memory returns soon."
"I'm sure it will. That is one of the things I am here for. It is possible that I can help you regain your memory."
"Really? I would do almost anything."
"All you have to do, Cheri, is establish a mental link with me."
Melissa focused on Janette. It was relatively simple to make contact. What she didn't expect was the turmoil of memories from the other vampire. Images appeared, blending into one another until the fledgling could no longer make any sense of them. Nick was featured in most of them, as was another male vampire with Roman features and short white hair -- LaCroix. Melissa remembered him.
Janette's head hurt. The fledgling had gone too far! Mental defenses kicked in, but they weren't enough to break free. She could feel Melissa's own confusion. Or was it hers? Janette was having a hard time separating her own identity from the fledgling's. If something wasn't done, they would both go insane.
"Stop! You must get out of my head now!"
The fledgling tried to get out of the other vampire's mind. She flung herself loose. Melissa could see herself on the bed and Janette close by. She tried to project itself back, but her defenses had slammed the door on any mental intrusions. Melissa opened her mind. It was too much. She could sense the thoughts of every person in the building. They became jumbled and incoherent. It was much like thunder in her mind. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. On the bed, Melissa curled up into a fetal position and started to cry.
"Oh, no," Janette said. "Cheri, it will be all right. Don't cry."
"I can't make it stop," she sobbed.
"What?"
"I am hearing everyone, don't you understand?"
"Everyone?"
"I can't get them out of my head."
"Did you try blocking them?"
"Nothing works! Not even the simplest block. You have to help me, Janette. I can't live like this."
"It is too bad LaCroix isn't here. I'm sure he'd have more experience at this. The only other person I can think of who might have experience in these matters, simply because of his age, is Aristotle."
Moving with vampiric speed, Janette picked up the phone by the hospital bed. Aristotle answered after three rings.
"This is Janette. I am in need of your assistance." Quickly, she explained the situation.
"I see. Regretfully, I'm not very good at that sort of thing. However, I know an Elder who may be willing to help."
"Who?"
"Li Chang."
"Isn't he in California?"
"Yes, but this situation is highly unusual. I think he may be willing to come here. I'll call him. Do your best to calm the fledgling down."
"Thank you, Aristotle. Your help is much appreciated."
Janette hung up and glanced at Melissa. She had recovered somewhat, but was obviously still having trouble. If Janette hadn't been used to Nicholas' highly emotional states, the traumatic feelings would have likely overwhelmed her, too. She spoke soothingly to the young woman until her tears stopped falling. The telephone rang a few moments later.
"Yes?"
"I spoke with Chang," Aristotle said. You must meet him at the airport." He gave Janette the flight information.
"Of course."
"The twins will also be there."
"All right. Thank you."
"It was nothing."
Nothing indeed, Janette thought with a smile. Aristotle had gotten one of the most powerful Elders to fly in, overnight, so that a troubled fledgling could control her powers. "Nothing" was the understatement of the year.
"Rest now," she told Melissa. "Try to, anyway. Help is on the way."
* * * * *
Having finally gotten the search warrant for Amundsen's lab, Nick and Schanke went to check it out.
"It's locked," Don said, trying the door handle.
step into the shadows, come out on the other side of the door, and unlock it. Don was a werewolf, and shadow-walking was one of several rare gifts that he had.
Nick nodded. "By all means." It was always uncanny watching his partner vanish into thin air like that. There was much more to Schanke's shadow-walking, but to the observer, it looked like he simply disappeared.
There was a click, and then the door opened. Schanke stood on the inside. "Sheesh, it's freezing in here! Let's get moving before we turn into ice cubes."
Nick noticed the air. His partner was probably right, but to the vampire, it just seemed a little cool. He found the light switch and flipped it on.
The building was eerily empty. The floor was coated with dust. There was also a layer of dust on the guard's desk. Nick wondered how long it had been since anyone sat there. His vampiric senses picked up the faint scent of animal movement -- mice, probably. But didn't scientists often keep mice in cages?
“Come on," Knight said, heading towards the stairs.
Focusing on the tiny scuffling noises, the vampire headed upstairs until he reached the top floor. An eerie red light from the exit sign was the hallway's only illumination. The animals were straight ahead.
The door was locked. Nick sighed and said, "Do your thing, Schank."
"I thought you'd never ask." Don took a step forward and vanished. On the other side of the door, Schanke found the light switch. He was greeted with a strange scene. Several white mice lay on the floor with fang marks that made it obvious how they'd died. Not all the mice were dead, though. Four scuffled around in a cage against the wall. One of the mice glowed in the dark.
"Weird," Schanke muttered. He reached out to unlock the door. There was a click, but then garlic sprayed out all over the place. Yelping, he jumped back and hit a table. His eyes and nose stung! Enhanced werewolf senses were not a blessing at times like these. Don sneezed several times in a row. After this, he wasn't going to tease Nick about his garlic allergy ever again. “No way, Jose’!†he told himself..
Knight heard Don yell. "Schanke?"
"Fine. Just be glad it was me instead of you, pal. The door was rigged with garlic."
"Garlic?"
"Yeah. It sprayed all over the place. It's in my eyes." Don coughed. "Ugh."
Nick used his vampiric strength to shove the door open and was immediately overwhelmed by the aroma. He stepped back. "You okay?"
"Just peachy." Schanke stumbled over to a sink -- hopefully, it would be a perfectly normal sink -- and turned on the faucet. The warm water felt better than anything he could have hoped for. "Aaaah," Don sighed.
Knight noticed the mice, then he saw a CD case in the clutter on the table. Nick picked it up. The disk inside wasn't labeled, but perhaps it might contain some useful information. His cursory glance didn't reveal anything else of interest.
"What'd you find?" Don asked, having recovered.
Nick held up the CD and grinned. "Hopefully something useful."
"Good. At least, there's no more garlic."
The vampire laughed. "Garlic isn't supposed to bother werewolves, Schanke."
"Tell that to the moron who put it in the doorknob!"
"Point taken."
They searched the rest of the offices, but found nothing else.
* * * * *
Janette waited at the airport. Even at this late hour, it was fairly busy. She caught the blood scent of one or two dragons, along with mortals. The dragons went in human guise, but vampires and werewolves could smell them. However, it was possible for dragons to mask their scent by magic, which was how they'd remained hidden among mortals for so long.
Chang's flight arrived. The Elder was accompanied by two fledglings, identical twins. These were the young ones who had accidentally revealed themselves as vampires on a live broadcast. But instead of containing the situation, the enforcers went mad with their desire for power and slaughtered innocent humans. The Elders were forced to destroy them. It was also because of the twins' heroic efforts that the public had mostly accepted vampires. There were always a few extremists, like the one who'd burned down Nick's loft while under Divia's influence.
"Janette DuCharme?"
"Yes."
"I am Li Chang. This is Matthew and his brother, Zack."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Janette replied.
"Likewise. Shall we go?"
"By all means."
* * * * *
End of Part 3
Part 4
As Nick and Schanke headed back, the vampire's cell phone rang. It was an officer informing him about the hospital murder. Nick's vampiric memory recorded details others would have had to write down.
"Okay, thanks," Knight said and hung up.
"Think it was Amundsen?" Don Schanke asked. With his enhanced hearing, he'd understood every bit of the conversation.
"I'd bet my Caddy on it," Nick replied. "He probably tried to kill Melissa, and the nurse got in the way."
Schanke nodded. "Yeah."
Nick took the next exit and headed for the hospital.
* * * * *
Melissa was crying when Janette, Chang, and the twins arrived. It was obvious what had happened.
Security guards and cops were everywhere. The vampires could smell a fresh corpse nearby. From the sound of it, Nurse Sally was trying to console the frightened fledgling, but wasn't having much luck. Chang whammied a few of the guards so they could get in.
Nurse Sally looked up. "Who are you people? How did you get past the guards?"
"It's all right," Melissa sniffed. "They're friends." She only recognized Janette, but trusted the vampiress.
"Still, you shouldn't be here," the nurse insisted. "Can't you come back at a better time?"
Chang told the twins to wait outside. As they left, he said, "We're here to help Miss Stark recover from her injuries."
"You'll have to wait until the police are finished. The only reason they let me stay was because I found the body."
"We will come back tomorrow night," Chang said. "Please allow me to offer condolences."
"Thank you," Nurse Sally answered. "Amy was a good friend."
As they left, Janette whispered softly, "Why didn't you just hypnotize her?"
"Sometimes, it is best to simply work with mortals, rather than around them. Come," Chang said to the twins, "we're going to the hotel."
* * * * *
Nick and Schanke arrived just as Janette and Chang were leaving. The Asian vampire smelled of age and power. Schanke wondered how long he'd been around. The only other vampire he'd met who came close to having so much power was Lucien LaCroix, Nick's sire.
"How is she?" Nick asked.
"Very frightened," Janette replied. "I do not blame her. This Amundsen has studied her long enough to know our weaknesses."
"He must be stopped before he becomes a threat to the whole community," Chang said. "Nicholas, this is Matthew and Zack. You may, perhaps, recognize them."
Knight nodded.
"Nicholas de Brabant, who goes by Nick Knight these days, is a long-standing member of our community," Chang added.
"I've seen you on TV," Zack said.
"Likewise," Nick answered, and introduced them to his partner.
Matthew frowned. "Your blood scent is weird. No offense."
"None taken," Schanke replied. "I'm a werewolf."
"Do you really get furry?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, sometimes."
"We'll be back tomorrow," Janette replied. "Li Chang is here to help Melissa control her new abilities, and to assess her injuries."
"She has abilities that are quite rare among our kind," the Elder said. "But we should be going, before the hotel closes for the night."
"Of course," Nick responded.
* * * * *
Melissa sniffled. "It's so unfair, Nurse Sally. Amundsen comes here to kill me, and instead, some innocent mortal gets killed. Why did he have to do that?"
"I don't know, but don't blame yourself, dear. It is not your fault."
They both looked up as Nick and Schanke entered.
"What happened?" The blonde vampire asked.
Haltingly and between sniffles, Melissa described hearing the scientist’s voice, as if in a dream. "He's coming back, Nick," she finished. "Next time, he'll kill me!" The fledgling buried her blood-stained face in her hands as red tears streaked down her cheeks.
Nick put his hand on Melissa's shoulder. "It'll be all right. We'll catch him."
Don was looking intently at the body. A small mark on the arm caught his eye. "Knight, you might want to look at this."
Nick turned and saw it. "Looks like she died from a lethal injection."
Schanke nodded. "Curare?"
"That's possible, assuming Amundsen did it. If our perp was coming after Melissa, he probably had curare with him. He seems like the cautious type." Knight answered, remembering the garlic trap.
"Too cautious," the fledgling said.
"What do you mean?"
"He spends so much time planning his traps, that sometimes, he forgets the obvious. I was able to escape because Amundsen forgot about the window."
"That's interesting. We may be able to use that against him. What time did you find the body, Miss Winters?"
After questioning the nurse, Knight and Schanke planned to have a 24-hour security guard. They would take the night shift. When the scientist returned, he would be in for a surprise.
* * * * *
The next day, Natalie Lambert confirmed that the unfortunate nurse had died from curare poisoning. "Amundsen used enough of that stuff for a dozen vampires, Nick. Why would he do that if Melissa
Stark is only a fledgling?"
Knight shrugged. "She did say that he was overly cautious."
"Yeah, but this is overkill. Curare isn't cheap or easy to come by. I wonder where he gets his supply."
"That's a good question. I wish I had answers."
Natalie looked thoughtful. "Maybe Melissa built up resistance to it somehow, through Erik's research."
"Anything is possible." Noticing the time, Nick added, "Want to go out for breakfast?"
"Definitely," Natalie answered and quickly cleaned up the lab.
They went to a little café that was on the way home. Nick carefully sipped coffee while Natalie had sausage and eggs. Since drinking the tea that the dragons had given him for Christmas, the vampire was slowly growing accustomed to food. It wasn't supposed to cure him permanently, but Nick figured that he was as close to being human as he would ever get.
"Grace and I talked over break," Nat said. "We liked this bridesmaid's gown, but I wanted to get your opinion." She showed him an elegant, red satin dress that had short sleeves and a flowing skirt with lace trim.
"It's nice," he said. "I like the color. So, Where do you want to go for the honeymoon?"
"Anywhere is fine with me."
"Well, I was thinking, there's a bed and breakfast not far from where I grew up. It's actually a remodeled 13th-century castle. How would you like to spend two weeks in Europe?"
"I'd love to, Nick."
"Great. I'll make the arrangements." Lifting up the cup, he wrinkled his nose at the coffee, which was now cold. "This doesn't stay hot very long."
"That's because you're supposed to drink it, not stare at it."
"Very funny."
Nat finished her breakfast, and they headed home.
* * * * *
The security guard sitting by Melissa's door noticed a suspicious figure meeting Erik Amundsen's description. Putting down his Tom Clancy novel, the guard stood up, blocking the blonde man's path. "Hold it."
Erik had been expecting extra security, and was prepared. He took a vial from his pocket and released the chemical inside, all in one fluid motion. He was wearing a face mask, like the type people with severe allergies used. Caught by surprise, the guard began to cough. The bitter-smelling chemical stung his nostrils and throat. In the space of a few seconds, he passed out. Satisfied, Amundsen entered Melissa's room.
Removing his face mask, the scientist saw her sleeping. The shades had been pulled down, and masking tape was used around the window's edges to block any stray beams of sunlight. Erik put a chair against the door, under the doorknob. This time, he wouldn't fail.
Lifting up a curare-filled needle, Erik approached the vampire. She appeared dead to the world, but he knew better. He started to plunge the needle into her shoulder. Suddenly, Melissa woke up and screamed. Amundsen felt himself float off the ground, then slam into the wall. He slumped to the cold tile floor.
The door flung open. The security guard's partner, who had been taking a short break, looked around the room. "Are you all right, Miss Stark?"
Melissa huddled to the far edge of the bed, hoping that the sun's rays would not touch her. "Yes. Please close the door."
"Oh! Sure thing. I'll call dispatch, and have them send backup to take that scumbag in. Whatever you did to him, it worked."
"Thanks."
He picked up the phone, keeping one eye on Erik's limp form the whole time.
Schanke groggily answered his telephone, several minutes later. "Hello? Yeah, it's me. Okay. Thanks." Amundsen had been arrested and brought in. Don called and left a message on Nick’s machine, then went back to sleep.
* * * * *
End of Part 4
Part 5
Janette, Chang and the twins returned to the hospital that evening. Nick had informed them of Amundsen's arrest earlier. Melissa appeared much better. She was awake and watching television.
"How are you?" Li Chang inquired.
"I'm feeling better," she answered, wondering why an Elder was here.
"I intend to help you control your new abilities."
Melissa's eyes widened in surprise. Was he able to read her mind? It was not unheard of in an Elder, but she had never shared blood with him.
"Yes, I have that ability, and others as well. Now, you must open your thoughts to me."
It was difficult, for she reflexively shielded her mind to avoid as much distraction as possible. She felt Chang's presence join with hers. Gently, he sifted through her thoughts. Suddenly, the Elder pulled away.
"I see now what has happened," he remarked.
"What is it?" Janette asked.
"Somehow, Melissa has aged a great deal. Exactly how much, I'm not certain, but she is physically at least as old as I am."
"No way," Zack said.
"That's impossible!" Matthew exclaimed.
"Apparently not, my young friends. The scientist who abused her has found a way to increase one's age, or at least, the age of a vampire."
"That cannot be," Melissa protested.
"It is true, nevertheless, and most disconcerting. If this knowledge were to get out, it could undermine us all." With an intense expression, Chang said, "All of you must swear never to reveal what has been spoken here. I will see to it that Amundsen's research is destroyed, except for the crucial pieces of evidence needed to convict him."
"Nicolas will not like that," Janette said, knowing the former crusader's penchant for honesty.
The elder nodded. "Once a knight, always a knight. I'll make certain he understands why it must be done. Now, Melissa, let us finish your training."
* * * * *
The next day, Nick received a phone call stating that the crime lab had been broken into. All the evidence against Erik Amundsen, except for several pieces, had been destroyed. The thief had not been caught on tape, so they thought the suspect might be supernatural. In addition, the thief left no fingerprints. The good news was that the case against Amundsen wasn’t lost, for they still had the CD. It turned out that the files on the CD were detailed journal entries. Some of them were corrupted, but the data that was good could still be used to convict him, along with Melissa’s testimony.
Melissa had been released from the hospital and was staying at the Raven. Chang and the twins would remain in town for a few days, to ensure that she gained control of her new abilities. Things were working out, and hopefully they would stay that way.
The End
Part 1/5
By Emily M. Hanson
Disclaimers: Forever Knight is owned by Sony. I’m not making any profit from this. Permission is given to the FTP site to archive, and whoever else wants to archive it.
This story was beta read by David Duncan, whose comments were very helpful, as always.
* * * * *
The captive opened her eyes slowly. Hunger gnawed at her. She had not feed well for weeks. The scientist, Erik Amundsen, gave her several small white rats per day, but that was not enough for a vampire to feed on. Even a carouche would eat more. The captive was both restless and weary. Her "apartment" was nothing more than a cot, sink, chair and toilet. Truly, it was more like a prison cell than anything else.
Amundsen had done many experiments on her, during the course of which, the captive had forgotten her own name. The scientist referred to her as “Jane Doe.†Each time she tried to escape, a trap was triggered by different means. Noxious garlic fumes rendered her helpless, and the scientist calmly escorted Jane back to her cell. He carried a needle filled with curare at all times, and wore a crucifix as well. Amundsen also had a cigarette lighter, though he didn't smoke.
Jane sat up on the cot and stretched out, physically as well as with her senses. The only sounds that could be heard were the tiny heartbeats of mice scuffling around in their cages. She forced the door open and peered around the corner. Moonlight shone through an open window. Surely Amundsen wasn't being that careless, unless he was drunk. She'd seen him intoxicated several times. Strangely, his experiments under the influence of alcohol were less cruel than when he was sober, as if the intoxication blunted his creativity. Perhaps this was an experiment to see how far she could make it to the window.
The captive tensed, and then, took a step forward. So far, so good. She glanced around the room. Nothing obvious presented itself as a threat. Jane took another step forward. Suddenly, the pangs of hunger made her stop. She glanced towards the cage. It might be a good idea to grab a bite first. She would deal with whatever trial the scientist had set up for her on a full stomach. The captive removed the top from the cage and snatched up a plump, juicy mouse. After draining it and several more, Jane approached the window.
Getting ready to fly (how long had it been since she'd last flown?) the captive glanced outside. The night was inviting, the cool fresh air seemed like air from paradise, compared to the stuffy lab. Jane missed seeing a tripwire as she flew up. Suddenly, the window slammed shut and a loud alarm went off. The vampire growled and smashed her fist through the window. She would fly free tonight. No matter what, she would be free of Amundsen and his cruel, humiliating experiments.
Suddenly, the door opened. Amundsen was back. Erik's eyes widened as he saw Jane standing next to the smashed window. Her eyes were golden and her fangs were fully extended. Taking a deep breath, the scientist said, "Jane, please calm down."
"No!" She growled. "I will not calm down. You have controlled me for too long."
"If you are on good behavior for the next two days, you'll get a reward."
"What? A puny mouse, with no more than a few drops of blood to sustain me?"
"I will tell you your name."
Jane's eyes narrowed as she tried to discern whether the scientist was lying. Surely he had the knowledge, but would he really give it up? He struck her as one who hoarded information, as some would amass wealth. Jane had not seen any colleagues since she'd been his prisoner. Who was he sharing the data with that he'd gained from his research on her? Did anyone else know that Amundsen held her captive? Deciding that the scientist was most likely being dishonest, Jane said, "No."
"What?"
"I said, no."
Amundsen scowled. He held up the curare-filled needle. "Don't make me use this. I don't want to hurt you."
A strangled laugh escaped from Jane's throat. "Then why do you hold me against my will?"
"You're very special, Jane. I made you -- not as a vampire, of course, but your new talents were created by me. Don't forget that. Other vampires might try to kill you, since they cannot have your gifts. You're only safe here with me."
Jane had heard enough. Baring fangs, she hissed. Her pent-up anger was a raging river, and her controlling dam was starting to crack.
Amundsen felt himself rise off the floor. His subject was using her newly acquired abilities, and very well at that. "You have exceeded my wildest expectations, Jane, but you must stop now!" He plunged the curare needle into her shoulder.
The vampire gasped in pain. Fighting the poison required releasing her telekinetic hold. The scientist slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground. Jane stumbled towards the window. Still struggling against the curare's effects, she took off. It was not very long before she grew tired of flying. Weakly, she leaned against a building, her muddled thoughts beginning to drift.
"Ma'am, are you all right?"
The sound of a voice jarred her back to reality. She saw a policeman standing in front of her, looking concerned. He looked 26 or 27.
"I'm okay."
Lt. Tom Allen gazed up at the woman. Her skin was pale, yet sweat rolled down her forehead. Her eyes were gazed over, as if she was under the effects of a drug. Her voice was wavering. He reached out a hand. "Let me help you. I can take you to a doctor."
"No doctors." Jane's control slipped then, and she knew the mortal had seen her fangs. "You must forget you have seen me." Surely the Enforcers would kill her, if they found out about her mistake. That memory had just resurfaced.
Lt. Allen shook his head. The vampire was trying to hypnotize him, but not doing a very good job of it. Since she was trying to hypnotize him at all, the lieutenant wondered if she didn't know about the Enforcers' demise. How was that possible? It had been international news over six months ago. Surely everyone knew by now. Possibly the drug, or illness, was causing her to forget. But what could do that? The only substance known to affect vampires was curare.
"It's all right, I know. We all know," Lt. Allen said.
"What?" she gasped incredulously. Had the scientist leaked his findings of her to the press?
"Surely you've heard that your Elders destroyed the Enforcers?†Allen continued.
"No." Jane shook her head to clear her groggy mind. "No, I didn't. I've been a bit tied up for a while." Trying to think under the curare’s effects was not working, and she felt like her head had been split with a saw. Wincing, she looked down.
"Are you sure you're all right? I know you people heal pretty fast, but if I can help, I would be happy to."
"I was injected with curare. It'll wear off." Jane was sliding to the ground slowly. "Just...need to sleep."
Lt. Allen's eyes widened, and he spun around. His partner was coming out of a nearby Chinese takeout place. "Bill, this woman needs medical attention!"
"What happened, Tom?"
"She got shot with curare. She's a vampire."
"Okay. I'll call an ambulance. Stay here." Officer Johnson went to the squad car.
Lt. Allen waited. He noticed one very odd thing about the vampire that he hadn't noticed while she was leaning against the wall, and only because she was slumped over now: there were various marks on the base of her neck that did not look like fang marks at all. They looked like needle marks. It didn't make any sense. Vampires didn't do drugs because they couldn't be addicted to them, and besides, addicts didn't use the backs of their heads to shoot up. Also, the marks were at such an odd angle that someone else would have made them.
Officer Johnson climbed out of the vehicle. "An ambulance is on its way."
"Bill, come take a look at this."
"What?"
"Look at the back of her neck, near the base of the skull."
"Needle marks? That's strange. I wonder why they aren't healed yet."
"Good question."
Officer Johnson straightened as an ambulance wailed in the distance. "We'll find that out soon enough."
* * * * *
Jane awoke to a bright light shining in her face. She nearly panicked, thinking that Amundsen had somehow found her, until the voice of a nearby mortal calmed her.
"Relax, you're in the hospital." Somehow sensing that the patient needed more reassurance than usual, the nurse added, "No one will hurt you. My name is Sally Winters, but everyone calls me Nurse Sally."
A sigh of relief escaped from Jane's lips. Amundsen was not going to inject her with another strange serum, or threaten her with starvation. He wasn't going to cause any more harm.
"You were injected with curare, at three times the dosage required to cause paralysis in a thousand-year-old vampire. I'm amazed you're recovering so well. Either you're an Elder, or just very lucky," the nurse continued.
"I'm not that old."
"How old are you?" Nurse Sally asked, blushing slightly. "If you don't mind me asking."
"I can't remember my exact age, name, address, or anything like that. I do know that I'm not an Elder."
The human woman looked astonished. "How is this possible?"
"Science," Jane replied bitterly, and then, told the woman about Amundsen's experiments.
Nurse Sally touched Jane's arm gently. "There is a special police department for dealing with things like this. Perhaps they will be able to help you."
"A special police department? I thought the Enforcers weren't around anymore."
"No, it's part of the Toronto PD. You might be interested to know that it is run by a vampire and a werewolf. I'll report your case tonight. You should really stay a while longer until your strength is back. I'll have one of the assistants drop off a few blood packs."
"Thank you," Jane smiled for the first time in months. The mortal's kindness impressed her. She hadn't thought any of them would have shown compassion toward a vampire, knowing the truth.
* * * * *
End of Part 1
Part 2
Nick received the phone call from the hospital and listened while the nurse told him about her patient, an amnesiac vampire who had been considerably abused in the name of science. Possibly, the victim was kidnapped in the first place, but how would a mortal take a vampire against her will? Kidnapping seemed unlikely. Since Tracy Vetter and Javier Vachon were out investigating another case, and Don Schanke had the night off to attend his daughter's basketball tournament, Nick decided that he would go to the hospital himself.
* * * * *
Jane felt the presence of another vampire as Nick walked in, escorted by an assistant. Nurse Sally had left to tend other patients. Jane sensed that the blond vampire was considerably older than she.
"Miss Doe, this is Captain Knight. He would like to ask you some questions."
"Of course."
Nick recognized "Miss Doe" with a shock. She was a fledgling who had recently disappeared. Janette, not usually one to worry about fledglings, filed the missing persons report herself. Melissa Stark's family was killed by Enforcers the night vampires were revealed to the world. The Enforcers left her for dead, but she came across. Because she had friends among the fledglings at the Raven, Melissa went there first. She hadn't known any of them were vampires; finding out had been a small shock, according to Janette.
The sense of power was also a surprise. As a fledgling, Melissa should barely have been a blip on the radar. However, the amount of power Nick sensed would normally come from a vampire as old as LaCroix, or older. It was very odd, to say the least.
"You seem familiar," Jane said. "Do I know you?"
Nick nodded. "Does the name “Nick Knight†ring a bell?"
Jane shook her head.
"What about Nicholas de Brabant?"
It did spark a memory. "Yes, that sounds right. Please tell me you know my name." Jane Doe looked hopeful.
"Melissa Stark. You can call me Nick."
A blood-red tear welled up in the female vampire's eye. "Thank you, Nick. I couldn't remember. That ******* made me forget everything."
Knight pulled up a chair and sat by her bed. "Tell me about him. What did he do to you?"
"Horrible things, experiments, like I was some sort of guinea pig and not a person. He locked me in a room. There were all sorts of booby traps that would go off if I escaped, usually they'd release garlic fumes. Once I triggered something, and it was in the middle of the day, and the windows opened. I barely made it back to my cell."
Nick shuddered inside. If that was true, and he had no reason to believe otherwise, Melissa's escape was remarkable. Amundsen sounded like an overgrown bully who had only become crueler with age. "Do you know what he was trying to learn?"
"Amundsen never told me. I just figured he wanted to know what makes me tick. I think he succeeded in some of his experiments."
"Why do you say that?"
"He was able to make me forget something. Also, he did things that changed me inside, somehow. It is hard to explain, but I can show you."
Knight watched in growing astonishment as Melissa looked at an empty paper cup on the shelf nearby. The cup levitated off the shelf and into her hand. "There was a time when he injected me nearly every day with a serum. I think that it was what changed me. I can't think of anything else that would have done it, unless it happened before I lost my memory."
"Ok. Where was he holding you?"
Melissa described the building. Because she was under the influence of curare when she'd escaped, and it was affecting her memories, she couldn't tell him where Amundsen's lab was.
"Nick," Melissa asked, "do I have a family?"
"As far as I know, they were killed." He told her about the Enforcers and Janette. "I'll run a background check and see if you have any relatives living elsewhere."
She smiled. "That would be great. Thanks."
"Just doing my job. I'll let Janette know you're ok. I'm sure she'll let you stay at the Raven."
"How old am I?"
"Since you're a fledgling, I'd guess 22 or 23. You seem older, a lot older, but I can't put my finger on it."
"The experiments," Melissa replied.
"Yeah, probably. Take it easy."
* * * * *
Nick spent the better part of the night running background checks. Erik Amundsen's only crime on record was a speeding ticket he'd gotten in 1992. Other than that, his slate was clean. Knight had to call Aristotle to get information on Melissa, since she wasn't turning up in any computer files. The computer wizard told him the fledgling had a cousin in New York City, but that was it.
Finally, Nick pinned down Melissa's location to a four-block radius, according to the descriptions that Lt. Allen and Officer Johnson had given. She couldn't have flown much farther under the curare's effects. He spent several hours searching directories for certain buildings within that radius and came up with two possible options. One building was an abandoned warehouse, the other was a building owned by a pharmaceutical company, which only had offices on the top five floors. The other office spaces were rented out. Nick called to get search warrants for both buildings, and was told he wouldn't be able to have them until the next day at least, because the employee who issued them was out sick with the flu.
* * * * *
It was nearly dawn when Nick drove over to the Coroner's office to pick up Natalie Lambert. She and Grace were talking over a cup of coffee and giggling over a catalog of wedding apparel.
"Oh, now I can just see you in this, Grace," Nat said. She gestured to a very short, slim cut, fire-engine red satin dress that was sleeveless and strapless. The model was also wearing six-inch high heels.
"Very funny."
"No, really."
"Girlfriend, I hope you're not serious. I am not going to wear that to your wedding!" Grace said.
"Can you imagine what would happen?"
"Everybody would think we were abducted by aliens."
"They'd gossip about it for weeks."
"I kind of like that dress," Nick said, grinning mischievously.
Natalie burst out laughing. "You would. So what do you think, Nick? We liked this one..." she turned the page to a picture of a gown that was somewhat Victorian looking, but still modern. It was sapphire blue with long sleeves and a long, flowing skirt.
"It's not bad. Honestly, I don't know much about women's fashion. It's hard enough to keep up to date with men's styles. Whatever you decide on, I'll be happy with."
"Really?" Nat said, with a gleam in her eye. She turned the page and pointed to a smiling man wearing a pastel pink tuxedo and a carnation corsage. The male model was cute, but pink wasn't Nick's best color. And she doubted that Schanke, the best man, would willingly wear it. "How about this?" She said, with an absolutely straight face.
Grace held back a giggle. It was just too hilarious to imagine the Knightmare wearing a pink penguin suit. He was much too pale for the color, even though he'd been spending some time in the sun, thanks to the Phoenix Ring he'd received from the dragon, Xing Long. Not to mention, they'd probably have to inject him with curare to get him into the tuxedo.
Nick gaped at her. "You're not serious, are you?" He asked. *Please, let her not be serious...*
Natalie smiled. "Of course not, dear. I just had to see the look on your face."
The blonde vampire looked very much relieved. "Ah. Want to go for breakfast?"
"Sure. Grace, I'm going to leave this here. Have a good day."
"You, too."
* * * * *
End of Part 2
Part 3
Melissa found it hard to sleep through the day. She had headaches which increased in frequency each time. She was able to read the thoughts of nurses who stopped in to check on her. Melissa could tell they were nervous about her being a vampire, though no one actually mentioned it. The nurses replaced her drained blood packs while she slept. For the first time in months, she had enough food. The fledgling finally fell asleep around 1:00 in the afternoon.
* * * * *
Nick had not been able to tell Janette much when they talked on the phone earlier during the day, except that Melissa had strange new abilities. Entering the fledgling's room, Janette was stunned by the sensation of power. It did not seem possible that a fledgling could feel like an Elder, but that was exactly how Janette sensed it. The young woman stirred on her bed and opened her eyes.
"Hello," Melissa said, a bit sleepily. It was just after 7:00 in the evening.
"I am Janette DuCharme. Perhaps you remember me from the Raven?"
The fledgling shook her head. "Nick told me about you, but I honestly don't recall. I hope my memory returns soon."
"I'm sure it will. That is one of the things I am here for. It is possible that I can help you regain your memory."
"Really? I would do almost anything."
"All you have to do, Cheri, is establish a mental link with me."
Melissa focused on Janette. It was relatively simple to make contact. What she didn't expect was the turmoil of memories from the other vampire. Images appeared, blending into one another until the fledgling could no longer make any sense of them. Nick was featured in most of them, as was another male vampire with Roman features and short white hair -- LaCroix. Melissa remembered him.
Janette's head hurt. The fledgling had gone too far! Mental defenses kicked in, but they weren't enough to break free. She could feel Melissa's own confusion. Or was it hers? Janette was having a hard time separating her own identity from the fledgling's. If something wasn't done, they would both go insane.
"Stop! You must get out of my head now!"
The fledgling tried to get out of the other vampire's mind. She flung herself loose. Melissa could see herself on the bed and Janette close by. She tried to project itself back, but her defenses had slammed the door on any mental intrusions. Melissa opened her mind. It was too much. She could sense the thoughts of every person in the building. They became jumbled and incoherent. It was much like thunder in her mind. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. On the bed, Melissa curled up into a fetal position and started to cry.
"Oh, no," Janette said. "Cheri, it will be all right. Don't cry."
"I can't make it stop," she sobbed.
"What?"
"I am hearing everyone, don't you understand?"
"Everyone?"
"I can't get them out of my head."
"Did you try blocking them?"
"Nothing works! Not even the simplest block. You have to help me, Janette. I can't live like this."
"It is too bad LaCroix isn't here. I'm sure he'd have more experience at this. The only other person I can think of who might have experience in these matters, simply because of his age, is Aristotle."
Moving with vampiric speed, Janette picked up the phone by the hospital bed. Aristotle answered after three rings.
"This is Janette. I am in need of your assistance." Quickly, she explained the situation.
"I see. Regretfully, I'm not very good at that sort of thing. However, I know an Elder who may be willing to help."
"Who?"
"Li Chang."
"Isn't he in California?"
"Yes, but this situation is highly unusual. I think he may be willing to come here. I'll call him. Do your best to calm the fledgling down."
"Thank you, Aristotle. Your help is much appreciated."
Janette hung up and glanced at Melissa. She had recovered somewhat, but was obviously still having trouble. If Janette hadn't been used to Nicholas' highly emotional states, the traumatic feelings would have likely overwhelmed her, too. She spoke soothingly to the young woman until her tears stopped falling. The telephone rang a few moments later.
"Yes?"
"I spoke with Chang," Aristotle said. You must meet him at the airport." He gave Janette the flight information.
"Of course."
"The twins will also be there."
"All right. Thank you."
"It was nothing."
Nothing indeed, Janette thought with a smile. Aristotle had gotten one of the most powerful Elders to fly in, overnight, so that a troubled fledgling could control her powers. "Nothing" was the understatement of the year.
"Rest now," she told Melissa. "Try to, anyway. Help is on the way."
* * * * *
Having finally gotten the search warrant for Amundsen's lab, Nick and Schanke went to check it out.
"It's locked," Don said, trying the door handle.
step into the shadows, come out on the other side of the door, and unlock it. Don was a werewolf, and shadow-walking was one of several rare gifts that he had.
Nick nodded. "By all means." It was always uncanny watching his partner vanish into thin air like that. There was much more to Schanke's shadow-walking, but to the observer, it looked like he simply disappeared.
There was a click, and then the door opened. Schanke stood on the inside. "Sheesh, it's freezing in here! Let's get moving before we turn into ice cubes."
Nick noticed the air. His partner was probably right, but to the vampire, it just seemed a little cool. He found the light switch and flipped it on.
The building was eerily empty. The floor was coated with dust. There was also a layer of dust on the guard's desk. Nick wondered how long it had been since anyone sat there. His vampiric senses picked up the faint scent of animal movement -- mice, probably. But didn't scientists often keep mice in cages?
“Come on," Knight said, heading towards the stairs.
Focusing on the tiny scuffling noises, the vampire headed upstairs until he reached the top floor. An eerie red light from the exit sign was the hallway's only illumination. The animals were straight ahead.
The door was locked. Nick sighed and said, "Do your thing, Schank."
"I thought you'd never ask." Don took a step forward and vanished. On the other side of the door, Schanke found the light switch. He was greeted with a strange scene. Several white mice lay on the floor with fang marks that made it obvious how they'd died. Not all the mice were dead, though. Four scuffled around in a cage against the wall. One of the mice glowed in the dark.
"Weird," Schanke muttered. He reached out to unlock the door. There was a click, but then garlic sprayed out all over the place. Yelping, he jumped back and hit a table. His eyes and nose stung! Enhanced werewolf senses were not a blessing at times like these. Don sneezed several times in a row. After this, he wasn't going to tease Nick about his garlic allergy ever again. “No way, Jose’!†he told himself..
Knight heard Don yell. "Schanke?"
"Fine. Just be glad it was me instead of you, pal. The door was rigged with garlic."
"Garlic?"
"Yeah. It sprayed all over the place. It's in my eyes." Don coughed. "Ugh."
Nick used his vampiric strength to shove the door open and was immediately overwhelmed by the aroma. He stepped back. "You okay?"
"Just peachy." Schanke stumbled over to a sink -- hopefully, it would be a perfectly normal sink -- and turned on the faucet. The warm water felt better than anything he could have hoped for. "Aaaah," Don sighed.
Knight noticed the mice, then he saw a CD case in the clutter on the table. Nick picked it up. The disk inside wasn't labeled, but perhaps it might contain some useful information. His cursory glance didn't reveal anything else of interest.
"What'd you find?" Don asked, having recovered.
Nick held up the CD and grinned. "Hopefully something useful."
"Good. At least, there's no more garlic."
The vampire laughed. "Garlic isn't supposed to bother werewolves, Schanke."
"Tell that to the moron who put it in the doorknob!"
"Point taken."
They searched the rest of the offices, but found nothing else.
* * * * *
Janette waited at the airport. Even at this late hour, it was fairly busy. She caught the blood scent of one or two dragons, along with mortals. The dragons went in human guise, but vampires and werewolves could smell them. However, it was possible for dragons to mask their scent by magic, which was how they'd remained hidden among mortals for so long.
Chang's flight arrived. The Elder was accompanied by two fledglings, identical twins. These were the young ones who had accidentally revealed themselves as vampires on a live broadcast. But instead of containing the situation, the enforcers went mad with their desire for power and slaughtered innocent humans. The Elders were forced to destroy them. It was also because of the twins' heroic efforts that the public had mostly accepted vampires. There were always a few extremists, like the one who'd burned down Nick's loft while under Divia's influence.
"Janette DuCharme?"
"Yes."
"I am Li Chang. This is Matthew and his brother, Zack."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Janette replied.
"Likewise. Shall we go?"
"By all means."
* * * * *
End of Part 3
Part 4
As Nick and Schanke headed back, the vampire's cell phone rang. It was an officer informing him about the hospital murder. Nick's vampiric memory recorded details others would have had to write down.
"Okay, thanks," Knight said and hung up.
"Think it was Amundsen?" Don Schanke asked. With his enhanced hearing, he'd understood every bit of the conversation.
"I'd bet my Caddy on it," Nick replied. "He probably tried to kill Melissa, and the nurse got in the way."
Schanke nodded. "Yeah."
Nick took the next exit and headed for the hospital.
* * * * *
Melissa was crying when Janette, Chang, and the twins arrived. It was obvious what had happened.
Security guards and cops were everywhere. The vampires could smell a fresh corpse nearby. From the sound of it, Nurse Sally was trying to console the frightened fledgling, but wasn't having much luck. Chang whammied a few of the guards so they could get in.
Nurse Sally looked up. "Who are you people? How did you get past the guards?"
"It's all right," Melissa sniffed. "They're friends." She only recognized Janette, but trusted the vampiress.
"Still, you shouldn't be here," the nurse insisted. "Can't you come back at a better time?"
Chang told the twins to wait outside. As they left, he said, "We're here to help Miss Stark recover from her injuries."
"You'll have to wait until the police are finished. The only reason they let me stay was because I found the body."
"We will come back tomorrow night," Chang said. "Please allow me to offer condolences."
"Thank you," Nurse Sally answered. "Amy was a good friend."
As they left, Janette whispered softly, "Why didn't you just hypnotize her?"
"Sometimes, it is best to simply work with mortals, rather than around them. Come," Chang said to the twins, "we're going to the hotel."
* * * * *
Nick and Schanke arrived just as Janette and Chang were leaving. The Asian vampire smelled of age and power. Schanke wondered how long he'd been around. The only other vampire he'd met who came close to having so much power was Lucien LaCroix, Nick's sire.
"How is she?" Nick asked.
"Very frightened," Janette replied. "I do not blame her. This Amundsen has studied her long enough to know our weaknesses."
"He must be stopped before he becomes a threat to the whole community," Chang said. "Nicholas, this is Matthew and Zack. You may, perhaps, recognize them."
Knight nodded.
"Nicholas de Brabant, who goes by Nick Knight these days, is a long-standing member of our community," Chang added.
"I've seen you on TV," Zack said.
"Likewise," Nick answered, and introduced them to his partner.
Matthew frowned. "Your blood scent is weird. No offense."
"None taken," Schanke replied. "I'm a werewolf."
"Do you really get furry?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, sometimes."
"We'll be back tomorrow," Janette replied. "Li Chang is here to help Melissa control her new abilities, and to assess her injuries."
"She has abilities that are quite rare among our kind," the Elder said. "But we should be going, before the hotel closes for the night."
"Of course," Nick responded.
* * * * *
Melissa sniffled. "It's so unfair, Nurse Sally. Amundsen comes here to kill me, and instead, some innocent mortal gets killed. Why did he have to do that?"
"I don't know, but don't blame yourself, dear. It is not your fault."
They both looked up as Nick and Schanke entered.
"What happened?" The blonde vampire asked.
Haltingly and between sniffles, Melissa described hearing the scientist’s voice, as if in a dream. "He's coming back, Nick," she finished. "Next time, he'll kill me!" The fledgling buried her blood-stained face in her hands as red tears streaked down her cheeks.
Nick put his hand on Melissa's shoulder. "It'll be all right. We'll catch him."
Don was looking intently at the body. A small mark on the arm caught his eye. "Knight, you might want to look at this."
Nick turned and saw it. "Looks like she died from a lethal injection."
Schanke nodded. "Curare?"
"That's possible, assuming Amundsen did it. If our perp was coming after Melissa, he probably had curare with him. He seems like the cautious type." Knight answered, remembering the garlic trap.
"Too cautious," the fledgling said.
"What do you mean?"
"He spends so much time planning his traps, that sometimes, he forgets the obvious. I was able to escape because Amundsen forgot about the window."
"That's interesting. We may be able to use that against him. What time did you find the body, Miss Winters?"
After questioning the nurse, Knight and Schanke planned to have a 24-hour security guard. They would take the night shift. When the scientist returned, he would be in for a surprise.
* * * * *
The next day, Natalie Lambert confirmed that the unfortunate nurse had died from curare poisoning. "Amundsen used enough of that stuff for a dozen vampires, Nick. Why would he do that if Melissa
Stark is only a fledgling?"
Knight shrugged. "She did say that he was overly cautious."
"Yeah, but this is overkill. Curare isn't cheap or easy to come by. I wonder where he gets his supply."
"That's a good question. I wish I had answers."
Natalie looked thoughtful. "Maybe Melissa built up resistance to it somehow, through Erik's research."
"Anything is possible." Noticing the time, Nick added, "Want to go out for breakfast?"
"Definitely," Natalie answered and quickly cleaned up the lab.
They went to a little café that was on the way home. Nick carefully sipped coffee while Natalie had sausage and eggs. Since drinking the tea that the dragons had given him for Christmas, the vampire was slowly growing accustomed to food. It wasn't supposed to cure him permanently, but Nick figured that he was as close to being human as he would ever get.
"Grace and I talked over break," Nat said. "We liked this bridesmaid's gown, but I wanted to get your opinion." She showed him an elegant, red satin dress that had short sleeves and a flowing skirt with lace trim.
"It's nice," he said. "I like the color. So, Where do you want to go for the honeymoon?"
"Anywhere is fine with me."
"Well, I was thinking, there's a bed and breakfast not far from where I grew up. It's actually a remodeled 13th-century castle. How would you like to spend two weeks in Europe?"
"I'd love to, Nick."
"Great. I'll make the arrangements." Lifting up the cup, he wrinkled his nose at the coffee, which was now cold. "This doesn't stay hot very long."
"That's because you're supposed to drink it, not stare at it."
"Very funny."
Nat finished her breakfast, and they headed home.
* * * * *
The security guard sitting by Melissa's door noticed a suspicious figure meeting Erik Amundsen's description. Putting down his Tom Clancy novel, the guard stood up, blocking the blonde man's path. "Hold it."
Erik had been expecting extra security, and was prepared. He took a vial from his pocket and released the chemical inside, all in one fluid motion. He was wearing a face mask, like the type people with severe allergies used. Caught by surprise, the guard began to cough. The bitter-smelling chemical stung his nostrils and throat. In the space of a few seconds, he passed out. Satisfied, Amundsen entered Melissa's room.
Removing his face mask, the scientist saw her sleeping. The shades had been pulled down, and masking tape was used around the window's edges to block any stray beams of sunlight. Erik put a chair against the door, under the doorknob. This time, he wouldn't fail.
Lifting up a curare-filled needle, Erik approached the vampire. She appeared dead to the world, but he knew better. He started to plunge the needle into her shoulder. Suddenly, Melissa woke up and screamed. Amundsen felt himself float off the ground, then slam into the wall. He slumped to the cold tile floor.
The door flung open. The security guard's partner, who had been taking a short break, looked around the room. "Are you all right, Miss Stark?"
Melissa huddled to the far edge of the bed, hoping that the sun's rays would not touch her. "Yes. Please close the door."
"Oh! Sure thing. I'll call dispatch, and have them send backup to take that scumbag in. Whatever you did to him, it worked."
"Thanks."
He picked up the phone, keeping one eye on Erik's limp form the whole time.
Schanke groggily answered his telephone, several minutes later. "Hello? Yeah, it's me. Okay. Thanks." Amundsen had been arrested and brought in. Don called and left a message on Nick’s machine, then went back to sleep.
* * * * *
End of Part 4
Part 5
Janette, Chang and the twins returned to the hospital that evening. Nick had informed them of Amundsen's arrest earlier. Melissa appeared much better. She was awake and watching television.
"How are you?" Li Chang inquired.
"I'm feeling better," she answered, wondering why an Elder was here.
"I intend to help you control your new abilities."
Melissa's eyes widened in surprise. Was he able to read her mind? It was not unheard of in an Elder, but she had never shared blood with him.
"Yes, I have that ability, and others as well. Now, you must open your thoughts to me."
It was difficult, for she reflexively shielded her mind to avoid as much distraction as possible. She felt Chang's presence join with hers. Gently, he sifted through her thoughts. Suddenly, the Elder pulled away.
"I see now what has happened," he remarked.
"What is it?" Janette asked.
"Somehow, Melissa has aged a great deal. Exactly how much, I'm not certain, but she is physically at least as old as I am."
"No way," Zack said.
"That's impossible!" Matthew exclaimed.
"Apparently not, my young friends. The scientist who abused her has found a way to increase one's age, or at least, the age of a vampire."
"That cannot be," Melissa protested.
"It is true, nevertheless, and most disconcerting. If this knowledge were to get out, it could undermine us all." With an intense expression, Chang said, "All of you must swear never to reveal what has been spoken here. I will see to it that Amundsen's research is destroyed, except for the crucial pieces of evidence needed to convict him."
"Nicolas will not like that," Janette said, knowing the former crusader's penchant for honesty.
The elder nodded. "Once a knight, always a knight. I'll make certain he understands why it must be done. Now, Melissa, let us finish your training."
* * * * *
The next day, Nick received a phone call stating that the crime lab had been broken into. All the evidence against Erik Amundsen, except for several pieces, had been destroyed. The thief had not been caught on tape, so they thought the suspect might be supernatural. In addition, the thief left no fingerprints. The good news was that the case against Amundsen wasn’t lost, for they still had the CD. It turned out that the files on the CD were detailed journal entries. Some of them were corrupted, but the data that was good could still be used to convict him, along with Melissa’s testimony.
Melissa had been released from the hospital and was staying at the Raven. Chang and the twins would remain in town for a few days, to ensure that she gained control of her new abilities. Things were working out, and hopefully they would stay that way.
The End
