And, don't fear, there's some Tesla in this chapter – thanks to Meegan, who's very long 'aw' made me feel bad. ;) Though there may be some more 'awing' for poor Nikola...
Enough of my talking, on with the story!
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Nikola could almost feel the beads of perspiration forming on his forehead as he clenched his hands, a ripple of pain shooting through him. It was invading all of his senses and made him feel like every nerve end was on fire. Nikola Tesla was by no means, in all of his one hundred and fifty odd years, a stranger to pain. Living as long as he had, coupled with his involvement in the frontiers of science and, more relevantly, his grating personality, he had most definitely seen his share. Even as a vampire.
But this was something different altogether.
He'd watched a few minutes ago – though by now it seemed an agonizing life time – in morbid curiosity as his seemingly psychotic captor injected him with an innocent enough looking substance. Though judging by the now all-too familiar gleam in his captor's eyes, it was not even close to the innocuous substance it first appeared.
Though what they would be doing injecting him with a mere saline solution or something of the sort he had no idea. Right now, he really wouldn't have cared about the logic of it all if it meant the pain would end.
At first, it had done nothing. Nikola had looked over at the man with eyebrows raised as if to say 'is that it?', but the man had just smiled that annoying knowing smile back at the captive vampire. His eyes seemed to say 'just wait', as he stood in barely contained anticipation. Obviously he was very excited about trying this drug, whatever the hell it was.
Nikola didn't miss the way two extra guards slipped into the room and stood stiffly by the door. What were they expecting to happen?
Then it hit.
It didn't begin with a throbbing, or a dull ache, or even a slight grating pain. No, it came at full force. He hadn't been able to stop the cry that was ripped from his throat as his eyes slammed shut, as though darkness would stop it. He didn't need to open his eyes to know the man was grinning in triumph, or that he was enjoying it.
So, Nikola lay helplessly strapped down to the chair as wave after wave of crippling, agonizing pain rippled through his shaking body.
His mind was blurry and sluggish from the constant pain and his thoughts disjointed. But, still, all he could manage to think was, I hope Helen is safe. Him going through this was one thing, but he didn't think his heart would be able to handle watching Helen go through it. That could be the end of him, vampiric immortality and all.
If there was ever a time for Helen to pass off his absence as sulking, brooding, or secretive world dominating plotting and leave him be, now was it.
Please Helen, he sent out a silent thought in the midst of his blurry minded haze, don't come looking for me. Hate me. Shove me out of your life. Forget about me. Just whatever you do, don't come and find me.
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Well this was just perfect. Even by Helen's standards, and considering what she usually got up to on a day-to-day basis that was saying something, she was positively and royally quite possibly perhaps maybe just in a little bit of a pickle. There was still a small part of her that thought 'hey, you've done these kinds of things before, you can handle this'. But, really, just like last time (though it had been a hundred years before), she was at this mysterious man's mercy.
She'd been a fool to think last time that she'd even had a shred of control once she'd put herself in his hands. Now, she was just praying some sort of divine plan of action would pop into her mind at the most opportune moment. That was after she found Nikola, so she had lots of time.
Yes, she was most definitely in trouble.
She was sitting in a van squished unceremoniously between two surly looking men who had some rather impressive biceps. Her hands were bound in front of her and her weapons had been taken. All of her weapons. The thorough pat-down (more thorough than necessary in her opinion, the man conducting it had seemed to enjoy it a bit too much) had been quite unpleasant.
So, once again, in summary, it hadn't been her smartest idea to date. Made even stupider by the fact that it was the second time she'd made this particular one. Damn Nikola. She'd blame him for it, and then punish him with some handcuffs in her bedroom. She wanted to punish him in private after all. She almost snorted to herself. Why did she even both trying to conceal it in her own mind anymore? She'd just made what was possibly the most foolish action by walking into the hands of a notorious and shady man for Nikola Tesla. Why did she bother even pretending? Force of habit, she supposed.
It was while she was going through this thought process that they stopped. She hadn't even noticed. Not until one of her large-bicep-ed escorts pulled her up with a soft grunt. Helen shot him a scathing look, she still had her dignity after all.
The man just chuckled.
"Come on," he said, pushing her in the back to get her moving.
She looked around after they were out of the van. The entire alleyway was littered with over-turned rubbish bins and large shards of metal. They were standing in front of the only warehouse she could see in the vicinity. They must be right on the outskirts of the city. A prompt nudge from her escort caused an abrupt end to her sight-seeing. She took a deep breath as they entered the warehouse. This was it then.
What she heard when she entered made her heart skip several beats and her blood run cold. She stood frozen in her spot, and not even the insistent pushing from her escort could make her move.
It was a hoarse, loud, desperate scream. Nikola's scream.
She knew the difference between the sound of someone's screaming in fright and in pain. This was one of those chilling screams, that forced a shiver down your spine. She'd never heard Nikola's voice twisted into such a sound of agony, nor did she ever want to again.
She closed her eyes to stop tears trickling down her cheeks.
It was all her fault. She hadn't come soon enough, she hadn't saved him. It was her fault he'd left in the first place. It was all because she'd been too stupid and terrified of opening her heart to him; of opening it to the perfection that would have been them together. Because she'd been running from their perfection for over a hundred years, burying her head in the sand and blinding herself to it, pretending it didn't exist. It had been easier that way. She couldn't be hurt that way. But what she hadn't realised then, and what she hadn't until now, was that she still could be hurt. Ignoring the obvious, her feelings for Nikola, didn't protect her heart. She was too far gone for that. In the end, it seemed it had only caused them more heartache. She'd hurt him and herself anyway. All because she'd been scared.
Please don't hurt me for hurting Nikola! Helen can kiss him better? ;)
