A/N

The third installment of "The Three" series! This fic, however, can stand alone. Important things to know going in are John Druitt has been excised of his energy elemental which Nikola keeps in an EM shield he is physically attached to. Nikola is now Head of New York.

Housekeeping note: the next chapter may not come for a little while as there is a huge chunk of craziness happening in RL for the first two weeks of November. Chapters will be updated as they are written.

KING OF NEW YORK

ONE

"He's done what?"

"Really, Doctor Magnus, I insist you come straight away." Helen heard the flurry of commotion and raised voices on the other line, and winced when something shattered to the ground. It sounded like glass.

"And Doctor Magnus?"

"Yes, Declan?" She felt horribly guilty. Declan MacRae was not a man who begged often or lightly.

"Next time could you make sure we're never assigned the same rooms?"

"Of course."

Helen hurried out of her hotel room whilst trying to fit in a pair of elaborate and rather fiddly earrings, somehow managed not to trip on her heels, and ran for the suites down the hall from hers. Already in the hallway she saw a crowd of hysterical cleaning ladies, other bewildered hotel guests and a flock of startled pigeons. This could only mean one thing…

"Nikola!"

She burst into the room, shutting the door behind her to spare the innocent bystanders in the hallway for the ear-full she was about to unleash on him. She saw him standing by the suite balcony, one leg over the railing as if he were about to jump off. He gave her a sheepish grin.

"What the hell have you done?"

He held up an imperious finger as if about to lecture her, but his shoe caught in the rail and he nearly stumbled and tipped over. She sighed. "You can try getting down from there first. It's rather undignified."

He finally managed to extract himself from the balcony rail and shook dust from his pant legs. He was pouting (of course) and folded his arms across his chest. "So is whatever this fresh hell you've dragged me into."

Helen looked to Declan for help, but he was already in an armchair with his nose stuck in a glass of brandy. He shook his head firmly at her; he'd already dealt with enough for one night. She turned back to the sulking vampire.

"It's only a charity dinner."

"You're not making the compelling argument you think you are."

She glared at him. "It's your responsibility to attend."

He merely raised his eyebrows at her in the peak of nonchalance. "It's like you don't hear what I say."

"I will have the other Heads of Houses cut your funding by half for this quarter if you make good with your escape." She lifted a challenging eyebrow back at him, daring him to test her patience any further. Nikola cast a furtive glance over to Declan, who nodded fervently in agreement with Helen.

"You can't do that!" He whined.

"Watch me."

Nikola looked from Helen to Declan, and then back again. His shoulders finally slumped and he gave a long-suffering sigh, defeated. He held up his hands in surrender and walked over to the table he had appropriated as his desk and picked up the half-finished bottle of wine resting on its surface. He took a hearty swig as if to prepare himself for the bureaucratic nightmare he was about to endure.

Helen glared at him. "I'll see you gentlemen down at the reception hall in ten minutes. And fix your tie."

She left before she could hear anymore grumbling, and tried to calm down the hysterical cleaning ladies in the hallway. A rather flummoxed bellhop helped her chase the pigeons out an obliging window, and when she looked at the time she was already running ten minutes late. Typical. She should have known what she was getting herself into when she suggested Nikola take over the position in New York.

The reception hall was already buzzing with muted chatter as the different Heads of Houses, politicians, businessmen and various other investors circuited the room and mingled. She could understand why Nikola would want to escape this particular duty, it was a horribly stuffy event, but this was one of the main venues for the Sanctuary network to secure funding, business deals, political asylum and continue operating.

"You have something in your hair."

Helen turned to see Nikola standing beside her, gently pulling a feather from her hair. Annoyed, she tried to smooth down her now mussed locks and glared at him.

"I thought I made it clear that I wasn't going to babysit you and that you were going to behave."

Nikola ignored her and handed her a glass. "I brought you wine. Now tell me who I have to be nice to."

Helen gratefully sipped at the glass, and quickly scanned the room. "I made sure to invite some ambassadors from different energy corporations to see if you wanted to strike a partnership with their design teams. The mayor of New York is here. And you should check in with Onryuji about Tokyo's new transfer of residents."

"Why should I care about his new shipment of snake beasties?"

Helen lifted a seemingly casual eyebrow. "Because they're vampire snake beasties."

That managed to catch Nikola's interest, though he refused to admit it. Helen placed a hand on his arm. "There's one thing though, there's someone here that I really don't need you…"

It was too late. Nikola had already been performing his own scans of the room, his eyes alert and attentive, and they suddenly narrowed into a sharp frown. "Helen…you didn't tell me General Electric was going to be here…"

Helen took a deep breath, looked around quickly to see if Declan was nearby, decided he wouldn't help even if he could after the hotel room incident, and then downed the rest of her glass in a quick gulp.

Nikola's face had already settled into a cool smile and he stalked towards a group of men in the center of the room. "Edison…"

If only there was a way to conceal a gun in this dress… Helen watched as Nikola strode boldly over to the group of men, effectively interrupting their conversation, and latched his attentions onto one gentleman in particular. Blood descendant of Thomas Edison…

The man hid his discomfort exceedingly well, and with a polite smile he held out his hand to Nikola. "Doctor Tesla, I'm honoured."

Nikola didn't deign to shake the man's hand, instead occupying himself by wiping his fingers with his pocket square. "You're an Edison. I can smell it on you." He looked sharply to a younger man standing just to his right. "You as well…"

"Yes, I'm distantly related to him through my mother. My name is actually Edward Miller. And this is my son Raymond."

Nikola only glanced at the boy briefly and gave the most plastic of smiles. "Charmed, I'm sure."

"I was actually most looking forward to meeting you, Doctor. I've been told—"

"You know, it took me years trying to convince your distant relative to buy one of my alternating current generators," Nikola interrupted. "And to think he was going to steal it off of me anyway, along with most of my best ideas, and my Nobel prize."

Edward Miller's face set into a frown. He sensed this wasn't going to be a cordial meeting at all. "From my understanding neither of you won that prize."

"No…more the pity. He was very fat you know, a horrible glutton and a drunk. Always kept a bottle of sour-mash whiskey in his desk while there were others doing real work…" Nikola flashed his most charming grin as Miller squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"Doctor Tesla—"

"You're ostensibly here to bid for the designs of my modified cirillium power generator and its alternates that use materials more common to Earth. But you're really here to pick my brain over the global hijack that occurred about a year ago because you think I know something." The stunned look on Miller's face merely confirmed Nikola's suspicions, and he couldn't help the grin widening on his face. It was so much fun to have this poor man in the palm of his hand.

"You can have the bid. Think of it as an act of charity to help you in your everlasting race against Westinghouse. As for the second matter, I have a proposal."

Miller was going puce in the face trying to keep up with Nikola's high octane, barbed exchange, and spluttered, "What is it?"

Nikola flicked his eyes meaningfully over to Raymond Miller. "You send your son to come work for me at New York Sanctuary. He'll fetch my wine, he'll answer my phone, take my letters, deal with my moods, make my excuses, and to add on top of the indignity of being nothing more than a glorified secretary, once a week he will have to submit an oral report on why Thomas Edison and General Electric will always remain inferior to Lighthouse Industries."

Edward Miller's eyes looked as if they were ready to pop out of his head, and Raymond was looking similarly nervous for his dubious future. Nikola wasn't finished with the man yet, though.

"And for the year he's away from dear pater's arms, I will pay him fifty thousand dollars. Think of it as my having finally caught up with the American sense of humour. For this, you can ask me three questions about what I know of the global hijack."

"Three questions?" Edward Miller could barely choke out the words, struggling to maintain his composure and not wring Nikola's scrawny neck.

Nikola merely shrugged and tapped his temple. "Think about all you can do with three questions and this brain. I'm sure you'll consider my proposal very carefully. Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen." He turned on his heel and walked briskly away, a spring in his step.

When he rejoined Helen he immediately took her hand and gave her a small twirl. His glee was painted on his face. "What are you going to do with a new hire, Nikola? You can't afford one."

Nikola pouted. "Hey, I need a Will too, but one who uses less hair gel."

Helen looked over her shoulder nervously. "The man's staring daggers at you."

Nikola could only grin. "I know…it's killing him. But trust me, I'll wrangle the network a nice discount on all energy bills, isolated power grids and a higher usage ceiling by the time we hit after-dinner drinks. It's all part of that good old Serbian charm."

Helen muttered darkly under her breath, "If you aren't assassinated by after-dinner drinks, colour me surprised."

For dinner, Helen made sure that the representatives of General Electric were seated very far away from Nikola to spare them further of his sense of fun. He glared over at her a few times as he was seated beside Onryuji and was disturbed by the man's diet of select grubs and insects. Onryuji dramatically bit the head off a particularly fat grub and held the wriggling thing between his fingers with exaggerated relish, enjoying the look of disgust on his colleague's face.

Well, wouldn't he be surprised when his menu showed up. As many of the attendants to the event were abnormals, everyone's specific dietary needs had been accommodated for. When Nikola's server arrived it was with a glass full of warm, antelope blood.

Nikola sniffed the glass a touch hesitantly, taking his time to pick out the rich scent. He felt a bit nervous, it had been a while since he had fed properly and not on plasma synthetic, and he quickly called to mind his recent cycle of medication before taking a sip. He felt something deep within him purr its appreciation, and hid a shudder as he continued to drink.

When Helen chanced a look over at him, she noticed his eyes flickering back and forth from blue-gray to midnight black. She watched, curious and a little fearful, but the flickering lasted for only a short moment. It seemed Nikola hadn't even noticed it himself.

Nikola set down his glass, he had drained it in under a minute. His server asked him if he cared for another, and he waved him away. He had enjoyed the blood too much and it scared him a little.

Helen's server tapped her on the shoulder and passed her a small slip of paper. Thanking her, she opened the small note and read "Stop staring at me, think of the scandal. I bet I can raise more money than you." She looked over at Nikola, who pretended to ignore her, but couldn't resist a quick wink.

Her mouth set in a grim smile. Fool had gone far in over his head now, no one was better at charming a large room of wealthy individuals like Helen Magnus.

She sent him back a quick note that simply said, "Loser hosts the next full network meeting."

When Nikola received the note he mouthed across the room, "devil".

Helen eased back into the cushioned sitting chair, feeling the muscles in her back and legs finally begin to unknot and sighed. Gratefully, she finished the last few sips of wine in her glass. Most of the Heads of Houses had retired to their private rooms, and the hour was very late.

Nikola finally swanned in and settled into the chair beside hers, an infuriatingly smug look on his face. Helen arched an eyebrow. "Well?"

He held onto his mocking, secretive grin. "We'll promise we won't let this come between us?"

"Oh, out with it."

He flexed his fingers. "Nine hundred, seventy-six thousand dollars. And some change." Helen continued to look at him demurely and the grin slowly slid off his face. "You're still smiling."

"One million, four hundred and twenty-thousand." She patted his hand mockingly. "And some change."

He stared at her absolutely stone still and she could swear there was steam coming out of his ears. He finally held out a hand and demanded, "receipts".

Helen handed over her carefully organized binder of receipts and affidavits and laughed gaily as Nikola's eyebrows nearly leapt out of his hair. He tossed back the folder in disgust and poured himself a fresh glass of wine. He mumbled unhappily, "When's the next full network meeting?"

"In two weeks."

"And absolutely everyone is coming?"

Helen spared no pity for him, reveling in her victory. "Sour grapes, Nikola. You can't stand losing. I'm rather looking forward to a trip to New York."

He bared his teeth at her in displeasure, but clinked his glass to hers in cheers. His tie had been loosened and hung around his neck. Helen could see a small ball of blue light with a black swirling mass in its center. If he noticed her looking at it he made no outward sign. She lowered her voice. "Have you made any new deals with General Electric?"

He gave a shrug that was too casual and hid behind his glass. "I may have a new secretary…" Helen's eyes widened and she kicked his foot.

"When's your plane leaving tomorrow?" He asked.

"First thing in the morning." She saw him pout, his leg tossed carelessly over another as he regarded her through hooded eyes.

"Mine isn't leaving until six in the evening. I can drop you off in Old City along the way."

Helen sighed, setting down her empty glass and rubbing her arms for warmth. The night air coming in from the open windows were picking up a chill. "Work, Nikola – you do remember you have some to attend to as well?"

He sighed impatiently, one hand tracing lazy circles in the air. "We're in Rome, Helen, that screams breakfast in a café, a trip to the great library, and secretly breaking into the catacombs. Again." He grinned on the last remark. "Who knows, maybe we'll find Da Vinci's secret cache this time."

Helen bit her lip and tried to hide a rueful smile. The last thing she needed was for him to see how tempting the idea was or else he'd never let it go. But this little trip had already cost her too much time away from her current project in Old City. The liaison from Hollow Earth was arriving tomorrow so punctuality was key. Knowing Ranna's prickly, pedantic nature, it was best to err on the side of caution.

She kissed him lightly on the cheek, ducking just in time as he tried to pull the same trick on her again, and made her goodbyes to the other Heads of Houses still up.

The moment Helen left the room a tall man settled into the seat beside Nikola's. Onryuji, Head of Tokyo, propped his sunglasses into his hair, a milky film passing across his slit eyes as he blinked. "You want the transfer of the shadow naga?"

"I only need one sexually mature female. I'll send someone to pick it up. And you wanted?"

Onryuji tapped a delicate finger against his glass of sake. "I want one of your technicians to upgrade my systems to what New York is operating on. I also want a deal with Lighthouse for new robotic surgical arms in my lab – your best rate."

Nikola couldn't help but grin into his glass. "See, you…you actually appreciate innovation and what I do. It's so refreshing."

Onryuji merely shrugged, the expression on his face not changing a hair as he said, "I understand New York has also refurbished their main laboratory with modifications my team has designed and patented."

Nikola arched an eyebrow at him, the incredibly sharp abnormal still regarding him mildly, and finally laughed. They clinked their glasses together, Onryuji holding up his on Nikola's prompting so Nikola could better appreciate the aroma of the sake.

"Doctor Magnus…" Onryuji began, trailing off as he considered how best to word his next remark. Nikola's curiosity was piqued instantly, tempered with a dark feeling that he knew where this was going.

"…has requested my assistance and Tokyo's resources for something. A project, which while I was flattered to be considered, seemed more appropriate for New York's supervision."

Nikola's hand instinctively went to the collar of his shirt, obscuring what nested against his clavicle. Onryuji had the good grace to pretend as if he hadn't noticed and continued. "Is this a matter that requires Tokyo's involvement?"

Nikola knew what his gut reaction was, but forced himself to slow down and consider the larger picture. He was running a Sanctuary now, he was in a world where the game held a more political flavour than he normally had the patience for…but that was the challenge that had attracted him in the first place, wasn't it?

"Go ahead, give your teams my blessings. Let's do an exchange, send me one of your designers and I'll send you one of mine. Any new patents that come out of this, we'll publish and sign off on together."

Onryuji smiled ever so slightly, the film flicking across his eyes. "You don't anticipate us succeeding…but you think the failed prototypes will be more valuable anyway."

Nikola leaned forward slightly. "Fifty-fifty deal, a New York and Tokyo partnership."

Another pause, the Tokyo abnormal was bafflingly unreadable to Nikola, and then Onryuji finally raised his glass of sake. Nikola similarly raised his glass, and the deal stood.

He'd have to remind Helen he could take care of himself. Nikola eased around the small orb the elemental was contained in, shifting it to the palm of his hand and experimentally testing the shield's walls. He could have three million volts of electricity pass through his body and the elemental would be safe. He could be in a coma and his shield would still hold. Only death could break this cage.

They were all safer this way.

Helen sipped her cup of tea as her computer chirped happily and turned on. She had a dozen messages waiting for her, and she quickly skimmed through them as her private plane took off the airstrip in Rome. She glanced out of the window and wistfully wondered if she could see the café Nikola was having his breakfast glass of wine in.

Actually, she could, though it was a mere speck to her. Nikola had chosen this particular spot because it overlooked the sea. South America had hade him rather fond of waterside cafes.

His latest acquisition from General Electric had already made it to the New York Sanctuary. He sent through the order of the fifty thousand to Miller in a show of good faith. Obviously, Miller must have finally seen the value in having his own personal spy in Nikola's workhouse. Nikola had been counting on it.

"Doctor Manhattan?"

Nikola looked up briefly and gestured for the man to sit down. "Funny name, isn't it?"

Nikola blinked once. "It suits me."

The man passed over a manila folder, which Nikola slipped into his briefcase. "And for that, we get the city planning contracts."

"Yes, yes, I've already spoken to the mayor's office."

The man was insistent. "Complete discretion and immunity."

Nikola looked the man up and down, a dangerous smirk on his face. "Well, that seems to come part and parcel every time I deal with your family. Send my regards to your father, unless someone's already decided they want to be the new Don."