This is a sequel to Simeon's: A Nosferatu's Tale and is set directly after the end of that story. When Earth-that-Was was no longer habitable, the Kindred left as well.
Simeon (OC) and Mr. Universe. Serenity/Firefly Crossover
Déjà Vu All Over Again
Warm. He was warm. The swarthy young man with the curly black hair had forgotten how good warmth felt. It had been so long since he'd felt that sensation. He snuggled deeper into the comfortingly secure depths of the grey leather sofa he was lying on. His hands pulled the woolen blankets closer to his body. A soft sigh passed through the young man's partially opened lips.
Where was he? The man's heart was pounding as memories took shape in his gradually awakening mind. NO! A sword ran through his body. Strength was draining from his body along with his blood. He was so cold. Mal, he'd betrayed Mal to that goram Parliamentary Operative! The one with the stupid obsession with an 'honorable' death: the idiot. Dead was dead and if he couldn't warn them in time, his friends would be dead too.
Lenore, he had to get to Lenore. Oh, he already had. He was sure he had? Yes, the young man remembered programming his lovebot to warn Malcolm Reynolds about that damned Operative and about the broadcast generator hidden in the bowels of the young man's worldlet. Let the Cortex spread the word of what had happened to the people of Miranda. The 'verse needed to know and his generator would spread that information to the farthest corners of the human 'verse.
He was alive. Strange, the curly haired young man was sure he had been dying. Maybe Serenity's crew had reached him in time. Maybe he was in Serenity's sickbay. Mal had found him a gonzo Inner Worlds doctor for his boat. Or, maybe it was a trick that psychotic Operative was playing on him. Wherever he was, the young man did not think this was the heaven Shepherd Book had talked about. He tried to slow his breathing, footsteps were approaching. Breath shallow: breath shallow. A chant ran frantically through his mind: I'm dead: I'm dead. There's nobody here but a dead man. Go away … Go away.
The steps had stopped. He felt the surface he was reclining on sink as, beside him, a mellow tenor voice said calmly, "I know you are awake, childe. You can open your eyes and, by the way, you are not dead!"
Eyelids rose slowly as Mr. Universe cautiously peered through the barely opened slits. Those eyes blinked and widened as, startled, his body jerked in surprise. What was sitting by his side? The curly-haired young man had never seen a person more devoid of color than the one sitting beside him. Albino - so, they really did exist. He'd always thought they were some Outer Worlds' folk-legend, but he had one sitting beside him and, there was concern on this one's face. Mr. Universe was sure that concern was directed toward him. I wonder who he is. He, the albino that is, was a he and 'he' appeared to be about Mr. Universe's age - maybe a bit younger. 'He' had black eyes too. Mr. Universe's eyes narrowed, face scrunching up, as his head tilted slowly to his right - long, dangling, pointy (?) earlobes. The tips of the guy's ears were pointy too. What had happened to the man? Had he fallen head-first into a rice picker? Safety protocols on the outer worlds were, at best, in name only. By now, Mr. Universe's head was touching his right shoulder and his sofa-mate's lips were twitching. Those black eyes deep-set into the pale, hairless, somewhat square head were dancing with good humor. The Cortex geek was certain he'd never seen this man before.
Black -eyed Albino? Education today, humph …: Simeon Stephanopoulos' sniff was audible only to himself. … Or, in the kid's case, it's the lack of structure. The Primogen of the Inner Worlds' Nosferatu had never been impressed with the current state of education in his world. Outside of the Inner Worlds, schools, even as he had known them in his youth, no longer existed. Universal education did not exist in the time and place he now occupied and had not existed since before humanity had left Earth-That-Was, much less universal, free education. The young man destined to have a hell of a crick in his neck if that head of his stayed lying on his right shoulder much longer had just provided living proof of that.
In some ways, Simeon was more impressed with the achievements of the twenty- something man staring at him out of dark, narrowed eyes, than he was with his own achievements at a similar age. Simeon Stephanopoulos highly doubted that the younger man had had an Uncle Petros to guide and direct his studies, or to even introduce him to the intricacies of this time and place's equivalent of the Internet Simeon had known and cheerfully manipulated in his long vanished youth.
By now, the Nosferatu Primogen's lips were twitching steadily. His prospective childe had absolutely no shields and the man's thoughts were both loud and highly entertaining. Tilting his head to the left, Simeon trapped Mr. Universe's gaze with his and, raising his head, watched the younger man's head follow suit. Using their locked gaze as a link, he slid his mind into the mind of his 'guest.'
There was another presence in his mind, soothing and calming his fears. Mr. Universe felt his body relax into the grey leather of the overstuffed sofa he was sharing with the black-eyed man. Nothing seemed so bad now, including the memories that had disturbed his awakening. He was calm, the pillow beneath his head incredibly soft and supportive, ready to listen as the pointy-eared guy beside him threw back his shoulders, sat up straighter and said with pride, "I am Kindred: Clan Nosferatu, Childe of Daedalus, Kindred Prince of the Outer Worlds. I am the Primogen of the Inner Worlds' Nosferatu and Enforcer to Julian Luna, High Prince of the Kindred. I'm also older than I look. You may know me as Zorba."
Zorba?! Zorba's been on the Cortex since before I was born. "You cannot be Zorba! I know flimflam when I hear it," Mr. Universe snapped, all wounded indignation. Uh-oh: that smile on his face is way, way, way too mischievous for my comfort. The younger man barely had time for the thought to make it into his brain before he felt the barrier between their minds thin and his vision was drawn into those black eyes. Within a breath, he blinked as the older man released his gaze. Eyes wide, he said breathlessly, "You are Zorba."
"Yes, I am, just as I have used other names over the years but, my true name, the one given to me by my parents when I was born, has always been Simeon Stephanopoulos."
Oh, the thoughts in this one's head. Enthusiastic, talkative and somewhat lacking in social skills: No wonder he reminds Frank of a younger me. Mr. Universe - We have to do something about that name - there are too many Kindred who still remember Earth-that-was and its body-builders. Arnold Schwarzenegger this one is not. I know my Nosferatu too well. With a name like that they will never take him seriously, especially the older ones. I can just hear Camilla now "… and where is your belt, childe." Simeon shuddered.
The Nosferatu's mental ramblings returned to more serious contemplations. Universe doesn't have the shields I did at his age. Note to self: teach him shields and keep him the hell away from the Cortex without me there supervising him every second. He's at least as sneaky as I ever was and Daedalus only had to worry about pissed off Kindred Clans-Folk with me. His overconfidence in his ability to keep his information diving in the Alliance's pond damn near led to his death. The Alliance believes their leak dead and they don't need to think any differently.
The Kindred Clans will demand his head if he starts poking into our businesses. I no more want Julian Luna disappointed in me than his childer do. At least they only have to deal with their sire. After he finishes with me, Julian will sic Daedalus on me and, oh god, I don't want to even think of what Camilla will do if she finds the kid in her affairs.
The Nosferatu threw back his head. Hearty laughter burst from his mouth. Where does the kid get these ideas? "I was not plucked from underneath a cabbage leaf, childe. I was born to human parents just as you were and I was later chosen by the Kindred. I was twenty-three when my sire embraced me into the Kindred."
This time when those sparkling eyes caught his, Mr. Universe met them willingly. When 'Zorba' extended a hand, the younger man took it, allowing himself to be pulled into a sitting position next to the 'Kindred.' "Kindred - What are Kindred? Can you tell me about them and why are your ears so long? Do all Kindred look like you? You said something about Julian Luna. Isn't he one of those old- name plutocrats from the Inner Worlds with more money than anyone else in the 'verse and doesn't he eat Independent babies for lunch???" Mr. Universe ran out of breath just as Simeon burst out with a hasty interruption.
Déjà vu indeed, even down to the irrational fear of Julian Luna. It's so nice to know I'm providing Frank Kohanek with tons of amusement. The man's probably laughing his head off with the High Prince. Hell, Julian's probably laughing by now - in a dignified Ventrue way of course.
"Julian Luna is the High Prince of the Kindred. He is the final authority for anything concerning the Kindred. He is also a fair and just man. Unless you are planning to embrace someone without his permission or against their will, break the Masquerade or otherwise flout his authority, you have nothing to fear from him. He doesn't know what I'm talking about. "I'll explain the terms I just used later, but for now all you need to know childe, is that Julian is not going to eat you." Well that appears to have settled him. He's bouncing up and down. If it wasn't so obvious the kid can't get his questions out fast enough, I'd have him in the nearest bathroom before he lost all bladder control. I wonder what's going to come out of his mouth next. Oh, no you don't. There's no way I'll give you that information before I know I can trust your discretion. In your case, that's probably not going to be for at least ten years. Surprise me, Kid.
"The last time we waved on the Cortex you gave me some info on the Oatie Bar symbol. How'd you get it? Can you show me how?" Mr. Universe's hands were waving, wildly gesticulating, eyes silently pleading as his words flew so rapidly off his tongue that the Nosferatu Primogen threw up his right hand and said, his voice a mixture of laughter and exasperation. "Childe, Childe, I will explain everything about the Kindred to you. Starting with who and what we are. The Cortex tips can wait. My sire is definitely laughing his ass off over this. You are everything Daedalus could ever have wished for in a childe of mine. You're so close to me as I was when my sire embraced me - you're the perfect fulfillment of every sire's dream of poetic revenge. I am going to have fun protecting you from yourself. Fortunately, your mind can't keep anything from me and your face isn't much better at keeping your thoughts and feelings secret. Ignoring the sour pout on the face of his prospective childe, the Nosferatu Primogen continued mildly. "The Kindred are an ancient and secret race. We were all human once."
Mr. Universe was staring - his eyes opened so wide, Simeon was amazed the kid hadn't started blinking. Those eyes had to be drying out by now. With the briskly burning fire in the marble-lined fireplace, and the dry fall weather, the humidity in Julian Luna's study would have had any human resorting to eye drops ten minutes ago.
A chill ran through the Cortex geek's entire body as he stared into the older man's face. He talked of Earth-that-Was as if he actually walked upon it. Unconsciously, the young man leaned closer to Simeon. In spite of the wonders of the room they were presently occupying, he didn't want to miss a word coming out of 'Zorba's' mouth and those wonders were pretty wonderful. The intricately inlaid wooden floor, wooden panels, the exquisitely designed and obviously expensive chairs, desk and tables, not to mention the grey, butter-soft leather sofa they were sitting on. The leaping, crackling flames of the fireplace were a treat as well. Mr. Universe couldn't help himself. He took deep breath after deep breath of the burning wood. It was wonderful. The sheer amount of 'stuff' in the room was incredible. Was most of it from Earth-that -Was? God, he hoped Mal never found this. Mr. Universe liked the man, but these people were so far out of Mal's league. Mal would never find out about this from him. He would not be responsible for his friend's death. The young man did not realize how much his last thoughts encouraged the Nosferatu beside him.
Maybe it will be only five years before I'll trust him with one of the smaller Cortex secrets. Now he's wondering how old I am. Older than any hills on any world in the 'verse, kid, but I'm not telling you Earth-that-Was bedtime stories. Yeah, Julian's place is impressive and you're overwhelmed by all the information there is to process. There will be plenty of time for you to study Julian Luna's paintings after I embrace you, but right now you need to listen to what I'm saying before I can get you to the point where I'll trust your answer. No multi-tasking allowed at this point. Extending his right hand, Simeon casually tapped the younger man's cheek. "Would you like to take a break, before we continue?" I thought not. The Nosferatu Primogen nobly restrained his smile at the eager disclaimer from, what he was sure would be, his third childe, "… and yes, my name is Simeon and I would not have given it to you if I didn't want you to use it."
The human leaned closer, making sure to keep eye contact. Uni did not want Simeon to stop again. This was too interesting. So, the Kindred feared discovery. He could understand that. Look what the Alliance had done to the Outer Worlds during and after the War of Independence and those were their fellow humans. Even before the war things hadn't gone well. That was why there'd been a war. The poor were seen as barely deserving of anything but exploitation - and they were severely discouraged from visiting the Inner Worlds. Mr. Universe nodded. Yes, he could understand wanting to preserve your life and the lives of your people. He understood duty, obligation and the keeping of secrets. He hadn't been able to avoid drawing Serenity into a trap, but it hadn't been because he'd shouted his knowledge to the 'verse. The man took consolation from the thought that he doubted Malcolm Reynolds fell for the trap. Serenity's Captain was one of the most paranoid people in the 'verse, which was why Lenore had been programmed to guide Mal to 'Uni's' backup broadcaster.
Simeon is right. All groups do have their good, bad and indifferent members. Mal is good, so is Zoe and the rest of Serenity's crew, even that goram homicidal maniac, Jane. Mr. Universe hadn't met too many other humans he'd count as 'good', most had been indifferent at best and he wouldn't trust any Alliance personnel further than he could toss one of their ……… cruisers.
The young human sighed. Simeon was winding down. So far the 'Kindred' had treated him better than almost any humans had. They had been nothing but kind to him so far. He was warm, clean and, above all else, he was alive. Now Simeon was asking him if he wanted to be embraced. Yeah, he'd seen that coming. All those secrets Simeon had talked about, Mr. Universe could be coolly rational when the occasion called for it. People with those levels of secrets could not afford loose ends. Mr. Universe had no doubt that his 'host' would calmly, capably and painlessly perform what the Nosferatu Primogen would see as a distasteful duty. The human also didn't doubt that his would-be sire would regret doing so and the young man had no intention of forcing the Nosferatu to perform that duty. Mr. Universe wanted to live and he definitely wanted the teaching and the knowledge that would come with the embrace Simeon Stephanopoulos was offering him. No hair, pale skin, and funny earlobes were a cheap price to pay for a long life in which to enjoy and appreciate that knowledge.
The human met his soon-to-be sire's eyes and said firmly, "Yes, I want you to embrace me." I hope he does it soon. I want it over. I'm sure I can trust him, but this will be the second time I've come close to death in the last month. I want an embrace, but I don't know how long I can take waiting for it. Before that last thought was completed, the soon-to-be Nosferatu was lying supine, his head carefully positioned so that his neck was resting over the sofa's arm. Simeon's body was pinning him to the sofa and the elder Nosferatu was whispering in his ear. "You'd probably be more comfortable in my haven, but we can do it here and now and, if you will allow me, I can take most of the fear and dread away." Upon verbal receipt of his childe's consent, the Nosferatu Primogen reached up and calmly turned the man's face toward his and, catching the younger man's eyes in the process, moved swiftly into the soon-to-be Nosferatu's mind.
Mr. Universe barely felt Simeon's fangs slide into his throat as the Nosferatu began the embrace that would turn him into the Inner Worlds newest Nosferatu. He was too busy listening to his sire's mental whisper. "Yes, Childe, there are actual sentient females who will not only pay attention to you, they will seek you out. Nosferatu are all geeks and we're as interested in the opposite sex as any other being. You don't need someone can't talk back and I am truly glad you're willing to alter your name. I'll tell you about the original users of the Mr. Universe title later.
2