The Other Plans
Everything seemed very quiet despite the ringing in her ears. This was the calm after the storm. Afina lay still, partially buried under rubble for what felt like hours as the dust settled around her. A shred of map fluttered beside her cheek as she coughed from all the dusts she'd inhaled.
'That blast should have killed me', she thought as she mentally worked over her body making sure everything was still attached and no permanent damage had been done. The sound of falling rubble troubled her ears as she lay there in almost total darkness, trapped by the collapsed chamber. She coughed and tried to recollect exactly what had just happened. She had been promised a world to dominate by Magnus, who the left with Tesla. Then the holographic map performed some kind of scan and effected a self-destruct sequence. Helen had mumbled something as she had left and Afina racked her brain to remember what she had said. Afina continued to lie there as the once grand chamber she was stood in moments ago resounded with the final collapse of the rubble and all was deathly quiet once again.
When Afina was certain that her movements wouldn't cause more collapse, she slowly began freeing herself from the rubble. Her vampire strength meant that it took less than an hour and she was soon standing in the fresh air, taking in the crater of destruction from which she had emerged unscathed. It suddenly hit her like the rubble in the chamber that everything she had ever worked for was gone. Her army was destroyed, as was her safe haven. Breathless from the horror of what had just happened, she took in her surroundings and was further dismayed that not even the ruins of her once great city remained. For the briefest of moments she regretted surviving that blast, it was only fleeting but it left her wondering what was so great about taking control of such a weak race as the humans.
Meanwhile huddled next to Tesla taking shelter from the explosion, Helen prayed that Afina had heard and heeded her warning. There was so much she still had to learn about the vampires, she only hoped that she hadn't killed her only chance of ever learning the truth about this most fascinating of races. She was well aware that even with the warning there was still every chance that Afina had been killed by the explosion and wouldn't co-operate anyhow. Helen knew of the danger she faced if Afina had survived. In the chamber Afina had made clear her intention of world domination and Helen had yet to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why she should postpone these plans. Currently all these fears were irrelevant as the explosion had been far more powerful than she had expected and she was once again reminded of the needless brutality of Hollow Earth. It stirred her uncomfortably and she was unnerved by it.
Sometime later Helen paced her hotel suite, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her guest. Her mind was troubled by thoughts of how her plan could have gone horribly wrong. She was beginning to doubt whether Afina had heard her whispered warning and instruction to find her. Helen continued to pace and fussed over the cushions on the bed and the ties backs on the curtains. Helen feared that Afina may have got the wrong impression of the whispered warning and that she could be on her way to her thinking Helen would aide her plan of world domination. Just as her hope was fading completely there was a knock at the door.
Her heart skipped a beat with the thrill of excitement which coursed through her body. She collected herself and breathed in deeply to steady her heart rate. "Oh thank God! I was begin..." Her voice trailed off and her heart sank as she opened the door to Tesla.
"Ooh Helen we are naughty! I take it you were expecting... other guests." Tesla queried.
"Err... Not that it's any of your business but" she breathed "I was expecting room service. I'm starving" she recovered, looking at Tesla intently to see if he bought her tale.
"Oh Helen" He sighed "I've known you for so long now. Surely you know I can tell when you're lying. Anyway I came to tell you that your hairy butler called my suite by mistake and he wants me to tell you that all is well at the Sanctuary. Except the concubine is acting like the child that he is and throwing a tantrum over some trivial nonsense," he said before turning out of the room.
"By the way when your guest does arrive, please keep the noise down. These hotels have such thin walls nowadays." Tesla said with a smirk as he walked back down the corridor to his suite.
Helen sighed as she closed the door and stood for a while leaning against it. She resigned herself to the fact that Afina had been killed by the blast, she would have shown up by now. Helen kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot into the en-suite, the cold tiles soothing her aching feet. It had been a very long day, she thought as she switched on the shower and began getting ready for bed.
Helen awoke during the night to a noise which sounded like someone trying the door-handle to the suite. She sat up in bed, looking around and was just about to lie back down and go to sleep when the bedside light switched on. Helen turned to face Afina, sat in the armchair beside the bed. Helen stifled a scream of surprise and forced a look of serenity on her face as she turned in the bed to fully face the vampire.
"Well, hello to you too." Afina remarked in that distinct, husky voice of hers.
"What took you so long? I was beginning to fear you had been killed." The concern was evident in Helen's tone.
"Do you know how hard it is to find good clothes in this world? Fashion has gone to the dogs since I've been in stasis. I couldn't just show up in the ragged, dust covered clothes I was wearing," Afina complained fiddling with the neckline on her black velvet dress. Helen was amused by her fashion choice. It seemed so cliché but then the clichés had to have come from somewhere and if she believed Tesla's ranting then vampires were responsible for their own stereotype.
"Well… what do you want me here for?" Afina asked. "I'm guessing you didn't just save my life by almost killing me just to sit there and stare."
That broke the spell and Helen came to her senses. "Oh yes, about that," she began. "I wondered if you would be willing to share your knowledge of vampires with me and in return I will give you a safe haven in my sanctuary" Helen proposed with all the confidence she could muster.
"Helen, Helen, Helen… How young and innocent you are," Afina condescended. Helen flinched; it had been over a century since she had considered herself young. "You think I'm going to settle for retirement so soon?" Afina continued. "Did I not make my plans clear enough the first time? Or is this your way of asking if my offer of second in command still holds true, even after you tried to kill me?"
Helen shifted uncomfortably in the bed. This was exactly what she had hoped wouldn't happen. She cursed herself for thinking she could actually convince Afina to conform. Helen had always looked for the good in everyone and it had led her into trouble before. Helen gulped noisily.
"I was merely thinking it would give you time to get adjusted to the new order of the world so you can perfect your plan" Helen back-pedalled trying to make it sound pre-meditated and not made up, as it was.
"Ahh! I like your style Lieutenant. How very… un-human of you. So often I have seen your species go into battle with no concept of the enemy you face, but this backseat approach may just work. It'll give me time to build up an army and regain my full strength." Afina commented. Helen slouched with relief and tiredness almost overwhelmed her.
Afina sat in the chair constantly fiddling with her dress, clearly not impressed with it. Helen also began fidgeting unsure what was going to happen next. They seemed to have come to some sort of arrangement, the details of which Helen wasn't completely sure. Afina had nowhere to stay and it was too late to book a room down at the desk even with Helen's preferential treatment. Helen didn't feel comfortable with her vampire guest's presence, she couldn't possibly stay here. For now Afina's existence had to remain secret so Tesla's advice was out of the question. Afina had already somehow bypassed the hotels security to break into Helen's room so her guest may as well stay, Helen concluded.
As if reading Helen's mind Afina spoke. "Don't worry about finding me a place to stay; I don't sleep so I will occupy myself with this book." Helen laughed to herself as the vampire picked up the Bible from the drawer in the nightstand.
Afina stood and moved over to the sofa in the other room of the suite, turning off the light as she did. She switched on a reading lamp on the table next to the sofa, her back to the bed. Helen relaxed a little and slid back down under the covers and sleep overwhelmed her.
Her dreams were plagued with thoughts of a post-apocalyptic world where Afina and Tesla revelled in the new order and Helen was left to rot in a cell, kept alive so she could feed the evil that had destroyed her home. She tossed and turned in the bed, murmuring the occasional incoherent word.
Afina slammed the Bible on the coffee table and hissed "Lies, all of it! There's no mention of vampire. Not even once!" Turning her attention to the bed where Helen thrashed, Afina rose from the sofa and walked over in one fluid movement. "Hmm what do we have here? Sleeping beauty is having nightmares?" She stood watching the sleeping Helen with a look of amusement on her face. It had always fascinated her; what do humans dream? Being a vampire she didn't sleep let alone dream.
Helen's eyes flew open, her face contorted in a look of horror as she sat up, drenched in a cold sweat. Helen was about to slide off the bed and walk to the bathroom when Afina caught her eye, still standing at the side of the bed watching her. "What are you doing?" Helen shouted, her right hand shooting up to feel her neck absentmindedly.
"Helen, you really should learn vampire etiquette. I won't just help myself to your blood while you sleep!" Afina said indignantly, visibly hurt by Helen's insinuation.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. It's just that my dream was so realistic, I had to check," Helen apologised.
"Dreaming about me were you? Oh I am flattered. This is the start of a beautiful relationship. Now, what happens next?" Afina questioned. Helen knew she had to get Afina to the Sanctuary without alerting Tesla to her existence. Tesla must never find out so she also had to come up with a way of distracting him to keep him away from the Sanctuary. Helen had to come up with a cover story that Afina would be willing to stick to for the time being so as not to draw unwanted questions from Will and the rest of the team. The Big Guy would be the hardest to convince, he'd known Helen for so long now he would sense the truth.
"Okay" Helen breathed. "Here's how it's going to work. I'm booking you a First Class plane ticket. I will lend you some of my clothes so that you blend in." Afina huffed at the prospect of wearing normal clothes. "I will tell everyone that you are an old friend and you will be staying on an extended visit on a consultancy basis. The closer to the truth it is the easier my team will believe it."
Admitting defeat Afina glided over to the wardrobe and began throwing out the clothes she didn't approve of until she found an outfit to her liking. She slipped out of the dress in one fluid movement and slipped into a knee length black skirt, ruched at the back to give definition to her posterior. On top she wore a black, silk, long sleeved blouse with oversized collar and cuffs. Helen who had also been getting ready while Afina sifted through her wardrobe was surprised at how elegant and beautiful Afina looked in 'normal' clothes; she was expecting her to look odd and uncomfortable like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Helen apologized for not inviting Afina onto her private jet and Afina hushed her, saying that she didn't want to be trapped in a tin can with Tesla anyway. Helen packed hurriedly and when she was done she opened the curtains to find the sun had already risen.
"Alright," Helen announced. "Time to go." There was a knock at the door and Helen opened it to the bellhop, come to collect her cases.
"You carry on ahead," Afina urged. "I have business to attend to before I leave. See you back at the Sanctuary." Helen raised her eyebrows questioningly but turned to leave before Afina could give an explanation.
Sometime later Helen was watching the news on the TV in her jet when a report came on that piqued her interest.
"Several homeless people have been brutally murdered in what is being called 'The Twilight Murders'. Reports from the police indicate that they were stabbed in the neck twice and then drained of all their blood. This heinous crime is believed to be the work of teenagers who have been whipped up into a frenzy by the Twilight Saga" read the reporter.
Tesla turned off the TV in disgust. "You know, this is what I hate about the commercialisation of my species. People used to fear us, now they think it's funny to recreate our most sacred of traditions." Tesla growled. Helen grimaced, her blue eyes looking at anything but Tesla. 'Bloody hell' she thought, thinking that this must have been the 'business' Afina had said she needed to attend to.
The jet touched down at New City airport and Tesla made his excuses, departing on a trip to the South of France saying he needed time to adjust to being the last of his kind. Helen watched him leave and let out a sigh of relief. So far her plan was working. Apart from the news report, there hadn't been any major setback so far and she couldn't be 100% certain that it had been Afina who had fed on the homeless people although the odds were stacked against her.
Back at the Sanctuary everyone was asleep except Biggie who was waiting for her in the foyer. Helen walked in and her driver carried the cases up to her room. Big Guy threw his arms around Helen and announced "Will was being difficult again. I'm so glad to have you back."
Helen thanked him for his kind words. "It's good to be back," she said. "I met up with an old friend. She's on her way over as we speak. She will be staying here for a while, helping me with our database." Biggie looked surprised. The only 'old' friends of Helen's whom he knew about were the Five. Helen rarely referred to her other friends as 'old' because to her they weren't. Biggie nodded his head in approval and made his way back to bed. When he was out of sight, Helen thanked her driver and gave him instructions to pick up Afina from the airport.
A short while later Helen stood in the foyer awaiting Afina's imminent arrival. There was a knock and Helen ushered Afina in. "I have an office cleared for you to use in a corridor that is rarely frequented" Helen told her.
"Thank you, Helen. I appreciate you helping me. I understand how difficult it must be for you to betray your own people but the power I will give you once you are my second in command will make your Sanctuary network seem like child's play." Helen's mouth fell open and she licked her teeth with an air of 'we'll see'.
She gave Afina a brief guided tour before showing her how to log in as a guest on the computer. "What I want you to do is read through the file we already have on vampires and correct it where necessary," Helen instructed. Afina looked at her and nodded with understanding and Helen was bemused by her willingness to co-operate, somewhat elated by how convincing she must sound.
The following morning as Helen made her rounds she found Afina gazing into one of the glass enclosures, snarling at its contents. "What on earth are you doing?" Helen asked as Henry entered the room.
"Morning Doc," he said looking up. "Oh hey wait, what is that smell?" He inquired looking at Afina. "Is that a vampire?" Henry asked incredulously.
"Urgh werewolf, you stink!" Afina remarked turning her nose up at Henry in disgust.
"Damn" Helen exclaimed. She'd found the flaw in the plan. How could she have overlooked the two species' very keen smell? "Alright you two, play nice. Afina will be staying here for a while and helping me out with a project," she told Henry. Afina closed her mouth hiding her frightening fangs and Henry returned to his normal stance, picking up the tablet he'd been holding and resuming his inventory. Worst part over, Helen thought. I hope Will and Kate will be easier.'
How wrong she had been! Half an hour later Will was stood in Magnus' office, the two of them in the middle of a blazing row. "I am second in command here! The least you could do is to consult me before you invite guests and let them update our database!" Will spat, the venom and hurt very evident in his voice.
"I am your boss William! I do not need to explain myself to you. I have run this Sanctuary MY way since before you were even a thought in your parents' heads." Helen fumed, indignation lacing her tone. He did have a point; the once practical and informative entry on vampires now read more like a history book and was filled with anti-human politics. "Look, Will I'm sorry. I should have informed you about the database, but please try to remember who signs your pay check and gave you this opportunity." Helen said, bringing an end to the rather heated argument.
Will let out a huff of breath. "No you shouldn't apologise," he said after a while. "I was wrong to question you. Afina is clearly a friend; you don't trust just anyone to come into the Sanctuary. I'm sorry Magnus. I'll work through her updated entry and make it a little more… useful." Will quirked his lips apologetically as he left the room.
When Will was out of ear shot Afina walked in to Helen's office. "That was quite a show you guys put on there!" patronised Afina. "Helen I'm impressed at how you came to my defence. You really were quite forceful with the boy and all to defend someone whom you shall be serving soon enough," Afina said barely whispering as she moved to place Helen between herself and the desk.
Still moving closer Afina moved her hand up to stroke Helen's cheek. Afina closed her eyes as she breathed in the scent of Helen's blood, her nose brushing lightly along Helen's neck. "Hmmm, Helen if only you could know how sweet you smell to me" Afina whispered, her breath sending chills down Helen's spine. A gasp escaped Helen's lips as they parted and Afina moved her head, leaning in for a kiss.
"Whoa! Hey, sorry, I'm not looking!" Kate's voice came from the door. Afina stepped back and looked at the ground as Helen pushed past her to follow Kate. Catching her in the hall, Helen grabbed Kate's arm and turned her around. Kate wouldn't meet her gaze, a look of shock on her face. "I'm sorry Kate. I should have introduced you to my guest," Helen explained.
Kate sighed and said "Doc it's your house, you can have guests any time you like. I just wasn't expecting THAT!" She pulled her arm free and slipped away down the corridor out of sight. Helen stood there looking at the spot where Kate had been, biting her lower lip.
Down in his lab Henry was hard at work. He had finished the monthly inventory and was looking through the archives for a very specific set of schematics. He knew that Helen had said this vampire was a friend but he didn't trust her at all. Henry searched the database for Tesla's de-vamper. He knew that Tesla would have filed it, he was too big headed not to it was just a case of finding it. "Aha found you!" He announced to the screen as he clicked on a file called 'Coil of Doom' "Like Tesla Coil? That guy has an ego the size of Old City! Coil of Doom? You need to stop blowing your own trumpet over that, seriously." Henry mused.
The design seemed simple but it would take time to build so Henry got to work straight away, unsure of how much time he had before this vamp went all retro on them. Why can't all vamps be like Cullen? He's not into all that human blood thing', thought Henry.
Helen eventually turned back to her office and entered to find Afina collapsed on the floor, gasping for air with a wide-eyed look of terror contorting her features. "Dear God!" Helen gasped, running over to Afina. "I'll call for help and get you to the infirmary right away." Helen rose to pick up the phone and called for the Big Guy. "Can you tell me what happened?" Helen asked waiting for Biggie to pick up the extension. Afina stared at her trying to convey what had gone wrong but no words escaped her mouth. "There's an emergency, my office, Afina needs help urgently!" She threw the phone down on the desk and hurried back to Afina's side.
Within minutes Biggie was helping Helen wheel Afina on a gurney into the infirmary. From what Helen could gather so far, Afina seemed to have had some sort of allergic reaction. It must be made worse by the fact that she was still weakened by not having had a proper feed since she had been brought out of stasis.
Helen prepared syringes while Biggie held down the thrashing Afina. "Hold still!" Helen instructed as she plunged a sedative into Afina's thigh. The vampire stopped thrashing and calmed somewhat. Biggie released his grip on Afina and looked at Helen questioningly. Helen ran some tests and consulted with Biggie in hushed tones while they awaited the results.
"She's a vampire. She's dangerous and volatile and immortal." Biggie argued.
"Yes I know, but she is also the key to what happened to us five when we conducted our experiment back at Oxford," Helen pleaded.
"Fine! Find out the information you need and then destroy her" Biggie said, getting to his feet. Helen too got up to check on Afina. She was still in a medical coma and perfectly unaware of her surroundings. Helen brushed a stray hair from Afina's face and stared at the woman who lay as if she was in the most peaceful of sleep.
Henry had the security footage cycling through on the spare monitor while he made the finishing touches to his de-vamper. He looked up to see the feed from the infirmary and watched as Helen stroked Afina's face lovingly "Ergh, gross, gross," he said standing up with the de-vamper in his hand. He knew that this was his chance. He had to get to Afina now de-vamp her while she was still out cold. He didn't like to see Helen so smitten with a complete monster but she seemed to make it a habit of loving the most evil things Henry could think of, like Druitt.
Henry made his way down to the infirmary and just as he was about to enter he cut the power. The entire Sanctuary was plunged into darkness momentarily while the backup generators kicked in. Henry utilised this brief moment of chaos to use the de-vamper on Afina. When the lights kicked in Helen screamed at the sight of Henry stooped over Afina with what looked like Tesla's invention in his hands.
"What have you done?" She cried running over and shoving Henry away.
"I did what had to be done! I did what was necessary!" Henry replied matter-of-factly. Afina lay still, heavily sedated and totally unaware of what Henry had done or the implications for the rest of her now human life. Gone was her immense strength, her bloodlust, her immortality. What remained was a vulnerable human with the aching desire for world domination but without the means to carry out her plans.
Helen leant over Afina to whisper in her ear. Biggie marched across the infirmary and pulled her roughly away. "Stop it Helen, she never wanted any good for you. She doesn't deserve your pity." Biggie always had a way of bringing Helen to her senses and keeping her grounded.
"You're both right." Helen admitted after a while. "She wanted to take over the world and I had no idea how to stop her. I merely postponed her plans for the time being."
Helen left the room and went upstairs to the tower. She had to clear her mind, she felt as though Afina had put a spell on her. She was weak, dizzy and light-headed and as she opened the door to the rooftop she gulped down huge mouthfuls of the fresh air. Helen was conflicted, she felt sick to the pit of her stomach at what Henry had done but at the same time she was also relieved. He had done the right thing but had gone about it in the wrong way.
She sat on the ramparts and thought about the future. Afina was no longer a vampire and so was less of a threat but now she would be dangerous because she would believe Helen had betrayed her and be furious at the deception.
Having been scolded by Biggie for his actions, Henry had returned power and went back to his lab while the Big Guy stayed to watch over the former vampire. Her most recent test results showed that her condition was normal and could now be awoken from the medical coma Helen had induced. He began to collect the used equipment and put it in the steriliser. When he was finished he organised the medicines in the cabinets ensuring all the labels were facing outwards. He knew he shouldn't disturb Helen but he didn't know what to do with their patient, so he busied himself as best he could and awaited Helen's instruction.
Over in the bed Afina stirred. She could hear grunting from across the room and opened her eyes to see a hairy beast bent over with his head in a cupboard. Sitting up, she pulled the IV out of her arm and took the oxygen mask off her face. She felt woozy as she tried to stand and her nose twitched as she sniffed the air. Why couldn't she smell anything, she thought. She listened very hard but try as she might, she couldn't hear anything outside the four walls of the infirmary. Puzzled, Afina got up and ran to the door but she even ran slower. 'What's happened to me? Where are all my vampire powers?' Afina thought, her pulse quickening. Helen must have poisoned her! These people obviously could not be trusted! As she reached the elevator she knew she had to escape from the Sanctuary.
Mind made up, Afina found her way up to the foyer. She was at the door when she realised she was still wearing a hospital gown. She found her way up to Helen's room and picked out an outfit. While perusing Magnus' belongings it occurred to her that she should steal something, to get back at Helen and so that she had some means to survive. Upon entering Helen's office Afina began walking around the edge of the room looking for something, anything, of value. She picked up an odd looking but obviously high tech device and hurried out of the room. She glided down the stairs, cautious of running into someone. Once she was outside the door she ran across the courtyard and was gone.
Helen started as the perimeter alarm sounded and sprinted all the way to the infirmary. She entered and found the Big Guy sat on the floor rubbing his head, having banged it on the cupboard when the alarm had gone off, startling him. He was the only occupant of the room.
"Did she hurt you?" Helen asked concern evident in her tone.
"I'm fine, go find her." Biggie replied.
Rushing from the room she ran into Will, Kate and Henry, armed to the teeth.
"We have to find her," Henry shouted. "Split up!"
They searched everywhere but the only sign Afina had ever been there were the discarded clothes left on the floor of Helen's bedroom. There was nothing they could do, they had no way to find her. Disheartened, Helen called off the search.
Some months later as Helen sat in her office, she was distracted by something in the cabinet, or rather the lack of something. Standing up she examined the contents closely. There was a large gap, something was definitely missing.
"Damn," she hissed. "Afina!" After checking with everyone in the Sanctuary it was concluded that the missing item was in fact Adam Worth's time node. "I wondered why Afina left without without much of a fight," Helen uttered unhappily. "Bloody Hell!"