"So what the hell did you do?" Vivi asked King the next day. Although she'd been horribly disgusted by it and had cut the work time on their project short, she just couldn't let the sight of her double go until King gave her some answers. "What is that thing with my face?"
"It's a double," King replied. "A magical duplicate. You can use them for anything. They're really quite handy."
"Do I want to know what you use the one of me for?" Vivi asked. "I probably don't. The thought is too disgusting. Thank god you're gonna be at a school soon where they'll keep a closer eye on you."
"What do you mean?" King asked.
Vivi sighed. "Astrid and the magical government are planning on making a school for hybrid children like us," she said. "No doubt your parents will sign you up when it opens."
"Are you gonna be there?" King asked hopefully, getting really close to her so he could smell the perfume smell on her neck.
"Yes," Vivi sighed. "I will. But you can't sit next to me or speak to me. And step back, would you? You're in my personal space!"
"Even with those stipulations, it's still gonna be worth my time," King replied, stepping back with a smirk. "And I'm thinking of getting rid of the double soon. She does everything I say. It's boring."
"Well, it's nice to see that although most of your good sense has left you, you still have a little," Vivi told him. "Now, are you gonna get rid of it for real, or are you just saying that so I won't hate you?"
"Oh, no, I mean it," King replied. "I've been lucky about Mom not finding out yet, but how long do you think that will last? Best get it gone before the shit hits the fan."
"You know, I hope your mother finds out and yells at you, like a lot," Vivi replied thoughtfully. "Cause it's the only way you might stop all this stupid behavior."
"She won't find out," King replied. "If she had, she would have done something about it by now."
"Sure," Vivi replied. "I think you're wrong, but whatever you say."
But when he walked in the front door of his house after dropping Vivi off, the air just seemed different somehow, and he found it odd that the double didn't come greet him at the door. "Hello?" He called after seeing no one. "I'm back! Anybody home?" Hearing no response, he went to his room and gasped when he found the double stretched out on his bed, her throat slit, and bleeding all over his pillows.
"When were you going to tell me about her?" Gwen asked, appearing in front of the open door so fast that it was almost as if she'd been lying in wait. "King, what were you thinking? You've done a lot of stupid things, but making a double of Vivi is by far the stupidest, the most idiot, the most foolish…" She trailed off and then came over and made the double disappear, the bed as spotless as if it had never been there.
"What'd you have to go and kill her like that for?" King asked. "I was going to get rid of her today. And what was the harm in having her anyway? Vivi doesn't like me anymore. I thought it was a good solution."
"Doubles aren't supposed to be used for things like sex!" Gwen replied. "They're just as much people as the people they're copies of, even if they're more pliable. If you use them for sex, they can get jealous and kill the person they're a copy of," Gwen replied. "Does Vivi know about this? And did the double know about Vivi?"
"Yeah, they did," King nodded. "But they seemed to take it well."
"Thank heavens I killed her when I did then," Gwen ran her fingers through her hair. "If the double had been allowed to stay around any longer, Vivi would have been killed or badly hurt. You have to trust me on this. I don't want you making any doubles of Vivi ever again, no matter how bad your relationship with her gets. Do you understand me, King Hamilton Mikaelson? I mean it!"
"Don't worry," King replied. "There won't be any more doubles. I've learned my lesson on that score. I mean, she was fun at first, you know, but then it got boring."
"So you learned that it's not necessarily the best thing to have a relationship where the girl does everything you say?" Gwen asked. "Good."
"But it's no fun to have a girl who completely ignores me either," King replied. He then paused and asked, "have you heard anything about a new school that will be built for hybrid children?"
"Yes, I've heard about it," Gwen replied. "Of course your father won't want you to go there cause he likes that you're the most powerful boy in a school full of humans, but I really think it would benefit you, so you're going anyway. Can I ask how you heard about it? Cause I doubt you watch the news."
"Vivi mentioned it at school today," King replied. "She assumed you were gonna make me go when it opened, and she was right. But I told her it wouldn't be such a tragedy, since she's gonna be there and everything."
"Well, it's nice to see you having a mature attitude about this, even if it's only because of Vivi. I think things go much easier when you stop acting like your father and fighting me about everything and just accept it instead," Gwen replied. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," King replied and actually gave his mother a kiss, much to her surprise. "Now, have you told Dad about the school thing yet?"
"No," Gwen shook her head. "But when I do, I promise I'll warn you so you can be out of the house."
Just then, they both heard Mikael call out. "You wanna tell him now?" King asked.
Gwen shook her head. "The school's not even officially open yet. We have some time. Now let's go see what your father wants, shall we?"
"Yeah," King nodded and took Gwen's hand as they left the room. "I think we should."
"Any sign of Liam?" Astrid asked Helene over the phone a few days later.
"No," Helene sighed. "Not really. And Mom, I don't even know where to look!"
"Oh, I'll try and find some way to help you, of course," Astrid said. "Don't worry, we'll find him."
Just then, there was a knock on the door of her office and she said, "I have to go, but I'll call you back when I get done." She went to open the door and found Doctor Vladimir on the other side. "Yes?" She said politely. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," he replied. "May I come in?"
"I've never seen you before," Astrid replied. "Do you have an appointment?"
"What I've come to tell you needs to be said now," Doctor Vladimir replied and forced his way into the room, setting two pictures on Astrid's desk, one of Liam and one of Declan. "These two boys are prototypes for a plan that I've devised to help with the problem of hybrids in the magical world. I can take any hybrid and make them into a soldier. Make them so they can actually do good rather than just be menaces."
"Well, as you know," Astrid replied, "It's my policy to work on integrating hybrids in the magical world, not by using them for evil but because they're just as worthy as any of us." She paused and looked at the picture of Liam. "However, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give your project a look. Would tomorrow be all right?"
The doctor left, feeling very satisfied, and Astrid called Helene. "I know where Liam is," she said. "And I think I can save him."
"Really?" Helene asked. "Good. Will it be difficult? Should I come with you? If this plan involves putting someone's life in danger, it should be mine cause I'm Liam's mother."
"I don't think it should be dangerous," Astrid replied. "But you can come along if you want."
"All right," Helene replied. "Sounds like a plan. When do we leave to do this thing?"
"Could you meet me tomorrow after you finish with work?" Astrid replied. "Or will that be too long of a day for you?"
"Not if it means saving my son, it's not," Helene replied. "You want me to come pick you up at the council building?"
"No, I'll have to be the one who does the picking up," Astrid replied. "The way I got access to where Liam is being kept is under the guise of official government business."
"Oh," Helene nodded. "Official government business. How interesting! I wonder what Adrian will say when I tell him? He'll probably roll his eyes and ask what sort of shenanigans I've gotten myself into now. That's what he usually does."
"That's funny," Astrid smiled. "Usually it's you being worried about his shenanigans!"
"Well, we've rubbed off on each other a lot over the years," Helene replied. "So…see you tomorrow?"
"Yep," Astrid replied. "See you then!"
"Good thing you didn't tell Daddy about this," Helene whispered as she and Astrid followed Doctor Vladimir hand in hand through his facility. "He'd probably go through the roof if he knew we were in a place like this."
"Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him," Astrid replied. "So don't say a thing."
"Don't worry," Helene replied. "I won't."
"What do you think of my establishment so far?" The doctor asked, turning on the pair suddenly.
"It's very interesting," Astrid replied. "It has promise. Now, if it's not too much trouble, you know the boys in those pictures you showed me? Can I see them? Please? Just so I can be sure that they're being treated ethically? Those are the rules, you know."
"And if you tell us we can't, we can have this whole place shut down cause you're breaking the law!" Helene added. "So you better get your ass moving and show us right this minute!"
"Excuse me," Doctor Vladimir told her. "Who are you again?"
"Oh, you'll have to excuse her, she's new," Astrid replied. "And very eager. Continue as you were, please."
"All right," Doctor Vladimir nodded and gave Helene a strange look while Astrid gave Helene's hand a squeeze and mouthed for her to calm down. When they arrived at the cell block, Helene nearly acted out again at the thought of her son being held in a cage like an animal, and being frightened like the other boys he hadn't noticed when he'd been brought in.
"Here's the first one," Doctor Vladimir said when they reached Liam's cell. "Boy, there are people here to talk to you."
Liam looked up and Helene gasped at the sight of him and tried not to cry. Despite the fact that there were no visible wounds on him because they'd healed, he still looked tired and ill-fed.
"What have you done to him?" Helene cried. "Are you even feeding him at all? Is he being taken care of?"
"What do you have to say for yourself, doctor?" Astrid asked.
"It's just part of the process," the doctor replied. "If they're going to be soldiers, they first have to endure suffering and hardship."
"That is just bullshit!" Helene replied and grabbed the doctor's throat before shoving him against a wall and lifting him up off his feet with her magic before Astrid could stop her. "You release my son…now! Him and any other unfortunates you have trapped here."
"If you shut us down, you're really only doing more harm than good," The doctor gasped.
"I don't think so," Helene replied.
It was at that moment that Demetri and Declan came into the cell block for a headcount and had a hell of a time trying to detach the doctor from Helene's grip. When they finally did, she spit on him before striding from the room, the prisoners emerging from their cells and following after her while Astrid told the doctor severely, "I'll see you in court in a week. And if you don't come voluntarily, I'll hunt you down and bring you in dead or alive. Do you understand?" Then she strode from the cell block with a flip of her hair as Demetri and Declan stared at all the empty cells (the only occupied one now was Regina's), and then asked the doctor what they were going to do in light of their new situation.
"I think we need a new plan of action," he said. "I believe I've lost sight of why we're all here in the first place. Declan my boy, come with me. I have to do some work on you so that you can go behind enemy lines and gain Mikael's trust. I should have known he'd be too smart to just come here."
"Yes, sir," Declan nodded. Then, he gave Regina a long look before opening her cell and urging her to her feet. "Go," he said. "There's no use for you anymore."
The memory of how he'd treated Declan still fresh in her mind, Regina gave him a good hard slap before ordering him to zap her into some clothes and out of that cold, damp hell hole. He did so, knowing that he would probably never see her again, then followed Doctor Vladimir to the lab for yet another personality adjustment.
