2:
Not one for sea travel, Kio opted for a more land approach. Of course she had seen the flying pa-lanes crossing the skies above, and did not trust them. And besides, she would have to fly over Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan (in her time they were known as different names and held different territories, but her research included geography); all of which were not the friendliest to even commercial airplanes. That and she could still run faster. Kio also found that there were still caravans that crossed these places. Using her vampire wiles, Kio was able to secure passage with one such caravan just in time for their departure. The only trouble was that she had to be careful in her feeding with such a small group, and change traveling companions often before suspicions arose if too many became weak.
When she was in the cities, Kio would resort to feeding on the homeless. Or, in the American occupied areas, on the injured before their friends came for them. She tried not to kill unless she had to; leaving her victims' with a scrambled image of a beautiful woman coming to them like an angel of mercy. Especially when finding easier transportation into India –and into the Himalayan Mountains, became scarce.
There had been one that had been noteworthy; a severely injured soldier who had been left in a safe place until his group could come back for him. He would not have lasted much longer when she came upon him; led by the smell of blood. This soldier had seen her clearly. And asked for release. Bleeding internally as well externally and partially paralyzed from a bullet lodged in his spine; he was in pain from the waist up. Kioni didn't know why, but she told him what she was. There was nothing she could do; human anatomy had not been a subject worth investigating when Afina had been in power. But she could make the pain fade and the end peaceful. This man was a warrior of his people, and she felt compelled to treat him with the dignity and respect he would have found in the Akkarru ranks. She drained him of his life, said a simple vampire prayer at his passing, made sure his body was both safe and would be found by his kind, and left.
The experience had left her solemn and nostalgic. Kio was so distracted that she didn't notice the lone figure stalking her from the inhabited region of the town to the deserted area. Then to a dead end with high walls. At first she was surprised to find herself facing the wall and expected to just turn around to go another way. Only there was someone blocking her way.
The first thing she noticed was that the man was very tall and very bald. There was a scar on his right cheek; ragged and very old. He was thin, but not lanky; more like wiry with a sense of broad shoulders. He wore a long leather overcoat that was jet black; once shinny, but currently sand and dust stained at the hems. Underneath, a casual suit of dark colors and fine fabrics. And black boots not unlike the ones on the soldiers. In his hands were two short swords of Asian make. Without a word, he attacked fast and with force. Surprised at his speed and strength, Kioni had to defend herself with nothing but her natural gifts. Her eyes went from forest green to obsidian in a blink, and with it, long black, and infinitely strong, nails sharp as diamonds. Nor was she unversed in methods of self defense. Her Queen liked her Ladies to be prepared to defend her if the need arose.
As fast as he had attacked, he retreated to view his work; noticing her appearance and how well she healed.
Kio noticed something as well. His avenue of retreat was not with the movement of his body, but the sudden flashy disappearance and reappearance of a teleporter. This man was a creature that was born with extra genes. As she studied him within the seconds after the attack, Kio also noticed something else. Something only her own special senses could detect. There was an elemental being within him. And judging by the way he teleports, she could well guess that it was how the bonding had occurred.
Her power was evidence of her mongrel blood, and gave her the ability to distinguish between "normal" species, and their more colorful "supernatural" counterparts; and what was within someone or something. As well as knowing this man had a tagalong, Kio also knew that this union had consequences.
Kio withdrew her vampire traits and held up her hands. "We don't have to fight."
He smiled a bit maniacally; though his eyes were strained and a bit red. "Oh, yes we do. You have something I need." His voice was low, soft, but menacing. It had a darkness to it that would be hard to forget.
"I have something you need?" It was hard to keep the amused incredibility out of her voice. She smiled widely. "My dear teleporter, I propose a deal."
A slight straightening from his fighting stance was the only indication that she'd caught him off guard. His pale blue eyes looked into her as if trying to delve right into her soul. "What sort of deal?" he asked; his voice even quieter. He didn't trust this red haired vampire vixen; but he had been trailing her too long to go empty handed. He hadn't expected that she would be able to fend him off so well. He'd been led to believe that a vampire like the one before him would be easy pickings. Simply finding her trail was a stroke of pure luck. But even his "gifts" seemed to simply put them on even footing.
She clasped her hands in front of her, trying to portray an attitude of calm and unconcern. "I need to get somewhere, and I would like to get there right away." She took a slow step, then another, towards him. "This is important enough that I am willing to give you anything for your help."
"Even if it is your blood?"
That made her pause. "Is there any reason that need mean my death?" she asked. "Though, I think I've shown that will be more trouble than its worth." Kio added as an afterthought. Perhaps he could be dangerous to her, but if he needed her blood as desperately as he seemed to, it would be better if she were alive to provide it more than once.
The tall man took a long, steadying breath; hesitating as if conferring with himself. "Where do you need to go?"
Kio relaxed imperceptibly. "As close to Bhalasaam as you can get me. There should be equipment there that I can use to give you what you need."
One of his brows rose, wrinkling his smooth forehead. "I can take you there directly."
"You've been there?" Kioni asked. She couldn't help the excitement, and fear, at that simple statement.
With grace belying his elemental madness, the tall man slid his blades into their sheaths. "Yes." He told her. He stepped closer and held out his hand, slowly, as if he didn't want to spook her. "The names Druitt; Montague John Druitt."
Kio looked at his hand warily for a moment, wondering at such a strange custom. "Kioni Azera Sanguinri." She paused. "Kio." She stretched out one hand and took his.
The moment their hands clasped, electricity erupted around them; swirling and popping, distorting the world around them. Then the dust filled street of the Pakistani town was gone and a forested mountain scape filled its place. It was the first teleporting experience Kio ever had, and it made her dizzy with disorientation. She found herself sagging towards the ground when Druitt caught her in a vice grip.
"Come now, Key-own-ie. Take a look at what remains of your mighty empire." He said coldly, spinning her around roughly to view the city of Bhalasaam.
Getting her feet underneath her, Kioni's eyes swept the scene. With a gasp, she fell to her knees, grief and desolation rendering her limbs numb; this time John allowed her to go down. What was left of the great wonder of the ancient world had been reduced to rubble and ruins. There was still evidence of a long siege, leading Kio to realize in the back of her mind that this had happened recently; within the last few hundred years. While her brilliant mind registered the condition of the wreckage and if there were any buildings that could have survived, and scanned for an entry way to the catacombs; her heart clenched in her chest and busted with an emotional tide that had accumulated since her re-awakening.
She was alone.
John shifted behind her. "No, you're not."
Kio must have uttered the thought. She took a deep breath and shifted so she could look back at him. "You are no vampire, teleporter. You cannot know what it means to go to sleep with a full and diverse society of kindred. A culture of advanced technology and art forms. Then to wake up and find every beautiful structure that was once prominent become rubble, or completely gone. To have millions of your people bid you good bye, but not one to welcome you back. I am a Lady in Waiting. I am supposed to be wanting for nothing." She struggled to her knees. "When my Queen awoke for her turn at rule, her children were supposed to spread across the globe to hold in her name. And I was supposed to continue my research and study, when not attending my Queen. By the time I awoke, there would have been several more offshoots of the strange and "special" of nature's creations for me to learn about. That's not going to happen now. What am I supposed to do?"
With a roughness that belied the spark of compassion in his eyes, John hoisted her to her feet once more and shook her slightly. "First of all, you can honor our deal. Then you can pick yourself up and find your own way." He sighed even as his fingers dug into her arms. "There is a place you can go. It's for abnormals. I'll take you there once our business is complete."
"Abnormals?"
"The creatures you mentioned you study. Like you and I. There are normal species and then there are abnormal species." John explained.
Suddenly Kio shook off his hands and deftly twisted out of his reach. "Your right. It was beneath me to confide in you like that. I did make a deal, and you did your part. If the catacombs are intact, there will be a section with supplies that will serve our needs."
Yet again, John teleported them without warning or grace to the entrance to the catacombs that he knew of, down into them just before the first crossroads. Again, it took a moment for Kio to orient herself from the aftereffects of teleporting as well as trying to figure out where he took her. "I wish you would warn me before doing that." She commented as she searched her mind for the three dimensional map of the catacombs she'd seen once.
"What fun would that be?" He allowed himself to say. Now that he was fairly certain that she was going to do good on their deal, he could afford a little banter.
With a heavy sigh, trying to ignore him now, Kio pointed down a corridor. "We need to go that way."
~. ~. ~.
The room was in shambles, but she had started to expect nothing less. It had been a long journey down here through the labyrinth. Kio was tired and her earlier meal, as little as it was, had long been used up. She paused at the table with the assortment of instruments she'd found. They needed to be cleaned, but she didn't have the energy to do the deed. "How much will you need?" she asked.
John was currently inspecting and fiddling with other items in the room. "What ever you can spare, my dear." He said, pocketing a particularly sharp object.
Kio pushed up her baggy sleeve and commenced with moving the blood in her veins into the container with the solution to keep it fresh and liquid. She watched the blood flow with a sudden morbid fascination. Kioni will have to feed after this, and she wasn't sure how palatable a man with an elemental in him would be, and was loath to find out. Speaking of… "I doubt that this will fully cure the side effects of the electrical currents from the elemental."
"I am fully aware of that, thank you."
"Though, with time, perhaps I can figure out a more permanent solution." She continued absently. The idea had potential. A case like his had never been seen before. That, and to study two, what did he call them, abnormals? At the same time would also be worth her while. Kio was still thinking of what all she would need when the world started going sideways and a pain began to appear in her abdomen. She had the vague sense of Druitt yanking the tube from her arm and gathering her up in his arms; after sealing the container with the blood and pocketing that as well. That swirling vortex of electrical transportation surrounded them and they appeared in an old city, close enough to the ocean to smell the salt water.
John looked to a large pile of rubble amongst the buildings and his face got even paler. "It's gone." He whispered, looking about as if the answers he sought would materialize from the shadows.
The only thing that did were dozens of sharp clicks all around them. The sound was enough to distract Kio from the hunger pains. Then she noticed the beating hearts that were suddenly loud in her ears. Suddenly alert, she looked around to find that they were surrounded by dark clothed individuals. She heard one speak sharply; but before John could do anything, even teleport, Kio was out of his arms and on the closest human. When she felt shots hit her, she snarled and became a blur as she disabled each armed man and drew deeply from the last one. She continued even when he stopped struggling. The relief of blood coursed down her throat and through her veins. Rejuvenating her cells and reenergizing her. Kio was almost done when she felt a shock hit her; not like the projectiles the men had, but electricity that stunned her Nervous System. When two more bolts, more powerful, hit her, she finally let go of the corpse and dropped to the ground.
"Druitt? What's going on, what are you doing here?" asked and dark haired and dark skinned woman, dressed in casual dress except for the bullet proof vest and armaments strapped to her person. "We thought you were dead!" she asked while training her gun between the very vampiric woman and the SCIU unit that had ambushed them.
Seeing Kate erupt from the shadows with a few other abnormals caught John off guard. He was torn between teleporting back to the catacombs for the rest of the materials Kio was using or staying and finding out what the hell happened to the Sanctuary. He choose the latter. "Kate… It's been a very long time." He struggled to say even as the elemental within him was angry and annoyed. It was getting impatient.
"Yeah, well, we thought you were dead, so…" She replied, eyeing him warily. Helen had told her and her other staff about what John had to do to allow Helen access to Worth's time portal. Helen assumed John had been destroyed in the blast wave that had resulted.
John straightened his overcoat absently. "I almost was, but the …entity within kept me alive." He said smoothly. "I wasn't sure I was welcome; which is why I have not come back since."
Kate finally lowered her stunner. "I guess I can't blame you." She told him and gestured to Kio. "Where did you find her?"
"We met in Pakistan. She was trying to get to Bhalasaam on foot." He didn't think lying would get him anywhere, and he might get as candid of answers if he chose to tell the truth. He cleared his throat. "What has happened here?" he asked a bit louder than his usual, nodding towards the ruined remains of the Sanctuary.
Looking past John, at the rubble, Kate suppressed a smile. "That was the doc's idea. The Sanctuary is officially cut off from all government intervention."
It took a moment to fully absorb what this young girly was saying to him. Then John slowly smiled. "I see." He pointed towards the still unconscious vampire woman. "Her name is Kioni… apparently she was a Lady of Waiting for the late Afina."
"What?" Now Kate was alarmed.
"Yes. Figured dear Doctor Magnus would be interested in having an actual vampire to study and convert to her helpful ways." John said slowly.
Kate looked from him to the vampire. If she hadn't seen the woman sucking the life from one of the SCIU agents, she may have not believed him. Unconscious, the vampire traits had disappeared, leaving a red haired, smooth skinned woman lying in the dirt. "I'll try to get a hold of Will, and see what we can do."
John nodded gently, watching as Kate turned and walked back to the shadows while taking a satellite walkie from her belt. Those in her group were letting their guard down as well. John looked down at Kio for a moment, gently fingering the small bulge in his jacket where the package of blood was. He had what he wanted. Even Kioni got what she wanted; to get to Bhalasaam. Now he could leave her with people who could properly acclimatize her, and keep her out of trouble.
Without a move, John disappeared in a flash of energy.
Leaving Kate with the custody of a very dangerous abnormal.
~. ~. ~.
New Sanctuary
While Helen gazed through the viewing window, she thought back to the last few hours. Starting with Will rushing into her office telling her that Kate had contacted him. She had a vampire for them; courtesy of John Druitt.
Helen herself had gone to fetch her, with enough sedative to keep their new intake asleep long enough for her to be put in a secure cell for observation. It wasn't the SHU, but it was only one step down from the secure holding units. It was also long enough for her to take blood samples and other forensics to confirm what Kate told William what this creature was.
For the moment, this "Kioni" was strapped down to the gurney with their vampire-escape proof bindings. When Helen noticed signs of anemia, she had introduced an IV with some O neg. Seemed the blood she'd gained from the SCIU agent hadn't been enough. Helen was also preparing a first cycle of doses she and Nikola had devised to sustain his own vampire needs.
Speaking of the vampire genius; Nikola appeared at her side without a sound except for the rustle of his cloths when he crossed his arms. "Still asleep?"
"She should be waking soon. Between the two stun bolts Kate gave her and the sedative I gave her, it will still take her system time to metabolize it out of her system." Helen checked her watch as well as the data from the sensor data beside her. "Which is almost out of her system."
Nikola made a 'hum' sound and nodded. After a long pause, Nikola sighed. "Did you want to talk to her, or should I?" he asked.
Shrugging, Helen grimaced. "I'm Head of the Sanctuary, and have been doing this a very long time, Nikola. I can make sure she understands her situation." She said, though, in this case, wasn't looking forward to that conversation.
"I wasn't talking about giving her the welcome party, Helen." Nikola replied, turning towards her. "I mean, which one of us should go in there and explain what happened to her egotistical, inbreed bitch of a Queen? No to mention the chamber with the rest of the Court?"
Helen closed her eyes and tilted her head up to think about that. "Right." She sighed and looked back through the glass at the she-vampire. "I was hoping to avoid that conversation."
Raising an eye brow, Nikola couldn't believe he heard her say that. He shook her head and tisked. "Helen. I thought you were all for being honest with your residents. She must know that Afina is dead; Kate said that Druitt told her… that this woman was a, a servant of some kind to that…" Nikola took a moment to take a breath. The topic of Afina still made him mad. "She'll find out eventually, Helen. Don't you think it would be best if the truth came from one of us?"
"That's rather… generous of you, Nikola." Helen turned to face him, eye brow raised and a suspicious look on her face. "Fine. You can tell her all about it. How she manipulated and betrayed you because she thought your nothing but a mongrel school boy, and that you helped me blow her up, as well as the rest of the court. Go ahead."
Ire rising when Helen talked about Afina's true feelings towards Nikola, he had to take a moment to calm down again.
"Why do you really want to tell her, Nikola?"
Nikola shrugged while one hand braced against his chin. "As I said. She will find out sooner rather than later. As we both know, vampires are very smart and can figure things out very well. We may as well get it over with; let her stew her anger out first, then work on acclimatizing her to the new world." When she continued to look at him expectedly, Nikola continued. "She and I are the last of our kind, Helen. If I want to find out more about my species, she's my only source. And I figured being truthful may be more profitable than lying to her." His words came with his usual movements and facial expressions. There was only so much he was able to learn from the Bhalaasam catacombs, and they weren't able to get images from Afina's tomb. There was still much of vampire history and culture that he did not know.
With a sigh, Helen looked back into the chamber in front of them. A smile peaked from her lips. "Well, Nikola, here is your chance." Using her chin, Helen pointed into the room.
Looking, Nikola saw that the other vampire had finally opened her eyes and was looking around and tugging at her restraints. When she noticed them, Nikola tensed. Unbelievably, he was nervous. He looked over at Magnus with a smile. "Wish me luck." He said and started towards the security door to the room. When he entered, he gave Kio the same smile. "Hello. My name is Nikola Tesla."
