Dark Shadows in San Francisco
Chapter 21
Andrew stood before his vampires. "My fellow immortals, we are gathered here to take revenge on Chief Robert T. Ironside. He must be punished for the death of many of our kind, including my son, Peter Adell. It is time we take our place on this earth as the dominant race. Mortals cannot stand against us. I will prove that when I drain the blood of San Francisco's most famous protector. If he can't protect the mortals, than no one can.
"The Vampire Council will begin a new rule beginning with the death of Robert Ironside. We will destroy Barnabas Collins and Dracula and the traitors working with them. When I have drunk the last bit of blood from Robert Ironside, I will turn his woman over to all of you to feed. You will each drink her blood until she is dead. You will be strong and ready to take on Dracula."
Ironside looked around. He did not like the way the vampires were looking at Katherine. Thank God, his vampire friends were here. He watched as Andrew started moving toward him. He opened his mouth and his fangs elongated. The detective reached below his leg and wrapped his hand around the glock. Andrew Adell did not know it, but he was about to become one of the first casualties.
Ironside pushed Katherine behind him and prepared for the attack. That was when all hell broke loose. Barnabas and Dracula were the first to appear. Each one of them ripped the heads off the nearest vampires. Damon, Morgan, Eddie and Miranda appeared and the fight began. Vampires against vampires.
Miranda moved immediately to Ironside and Katherine. "Stay here, Chief Ironside," she told him as he began to wheel away. With Katherine protected by Miranda, he was free to help his vampire allies.
Ironside ignored her and pointed the glock at one of the vampires and fired. It hit him square in the chest. The vampire dropped to the floor.
Barnabas was engaged in his own battle with four vampires. They surrounded him. Snarling and baring their fangs, they closed in on the Collinsport vampire. Moving with inhuman speed Barnabas attacked them. Grabbing one in each hand, he threw them across the tunnel. They slammed into the wall and fell to the floor. They did not stay there. Getting to their feet, they flew at Collins.
Morgan and Damon were back to back fending off several vampires. Eddie was alone surrounded. He attacked the closest one, but when he did the others moved in. Dracula could see he was in trouble. Throwing aside the ones that were attacking him, he moved in to assist Eddie. Grabbing the nearest vampire from behind, he ripped his head from his body. His torso fell to the floor as his head rolled away. Half the vampires that had been attacking Eddie turned on Dracula. One of them maneuvered behind the Count. He moved in with a stake. Just as he was about to shove it into his back, a shot was fired. Dracula looked to see Ironside with his gun pointed. The vampire who had attempted to stake him dropped to the floor.
The vampires were outnumbered by Andrew's army, but they were holding their own. So far not that many vampires had been destroyed. Other than Dracula and Barnabas who were stronger than the others, the rest seem to be evenly matched. Most of them were approximately the same age, therefore the same strength.
Angelique appeared on the scene to see all of the vampires engaged in battle. She sat down on a nearby bench the vampires had placed there. The witch began to chant and call for the vampire bat. Within a few minutes, she could hear the flapping of the wings of the giant vampire bat. Angelique projected to the closest vampire and ordered the bat to attack. It did exactly that, biting the vampire on the neck. Legend was confirmed as the vampire fell to the floor. Angelique hurried over to check him, but by the time she arrive the vampire was quickly turning to ash. A moment later there was nothing left of him.
Morgan threw his attacker to the floor. He slid down the tunnel under Morgan's strength. He grabbed the vampire by the head who was attacking Damon. Ripping his head from his shoulders, another vampire fell to the floor. The duo continued working together against those in the room.
Barnabas got in trouble as numerous vampires surrounded him. Slamming him against the wall, they moved in for the kill. Shots were fired by Ironside. One vampire dropped with two rounds into his heart from the back. It was enough for Barnabas to throw the others off as they were startled by the gunshots.
Andrew watched as his vampire army was not making any headway with Dracula and his traitors. Ironside had killed several of the vampires. Several had been killed by Dracula's cohorts. He was beginning to wonder if his army was capable of beating Dracula. Yet, many more could have been killed. He would wait and watch the battle. He had yet to engage Barnabas or Dracula or his people.
Dracula was surrounded by twenty vampires. The had him cornered. Angelique was aware that Dracula was strong and, out in the open they would never be able to take him; this time they had him backed against the tunnel wall. Angelique learned something neither Dracula or Barnabas knew about. All of the vampires in the room except those two had been created by other vampires. Dracula and Barnabas were products of the vampire bat. She would turn the vampire bat on both of them. She already knew the results. She summoned the bat. It flew over to Dracula and landed on his neck. As it bit into Dracula's neck, he screamed, "Angelique!" With strength that was beyond even the oldest vampire in the world, he threw off the attacking vampires.
He was on Angelique in a split-second. "I will destroy you for this before I die!" He grabbed her by the throat.
Trying to breathe, Angelique was able to squeak out, "Dracula, you will not die. I discovered that bitten a second time by the vampire bat gives you tremendous speed and strength beyond that of a normal vampire. Can't you feel it?"
Dracula stopped. He could feel it. Angelique was right. His strength was even greater than before. He let go of her. "Are there any lasting effects?"
"No, you will remain as strong as you are now," she informed him.
"Then turn the bat on Barnabas as well," Dracula ordered.
Angelique summoned the bat to attack Barnabas. If flew directly for him, but she stopped it. When Dracula noticed, he ordered her again, "Turn the bat on Barnabas, do it now!"
"I can't, Count. If I turn it on him, there is a chance he will never be able to become human again. You do not want to, but he does. I can't do that to him."
Dracula realize Angelique had just made a major sacrifice. If Barnabas became human, he would marry Julia Hoffman. Angelique was willing to allow that to happen. He looked at her and nodded. Racing away from her as fast as he could, he was back into the fight.
The tide was beginning to turn as Dracula's vampires were beginning to destroy Andrew's vampires one by one. If they did get in trouble, Ironside used his glock to shoot their opponents through the heart.
Andrew was not kidding himself, his army was losing. They were dropping like flies. They were losing, he was losing. He had to stop it before it was too late. Using his immortal speed, he was on Miranda before she knew what hit her. He threw her clear down the tunnel. Grabbing Katherine, he opened his mouth, his canines elongated. If he were to lose this fight, he could at least make sure that he got his revenge on Ironside. He would drain Katherine of enough blood so that she would die.
Ironside turned in horror as he saw Andrew about to bite Katherine. He aimed his glock at the vampire and fired. He hit him in the side of the neck as one of the vampires was thrown into his chair just as he got off the shot. All it did was momentarily stun him. Andrew was determined not to allow Ironside to stop him. Suddenly, he heard the flapping of wings. He turned to see the vampire bat as it prepared to attack him. As he prepared to fight it off, he turned towards Robert Ironside head-on. The detective had the gun pointed directly at him. He could not prevent what happened next. The vampire bat landed on his neck. Ironside held his fire as he watched the bat bite into the neck of Andrew Adell. The vampire looked into the eyes of the detective as the undead life began to leave his body. He slumped and fell to the floor. The last thing he saw was the satisfied look on Ironside's face before he turned to ash.
Ironside wheeled over to Katherine. He was not leaving her side again. He overlooked the battle and was prepared to shoot any vampire whose chest became exposed towards him. He spotted one and pulled the trigger.
Barnabas had destroyed several vampires and Dracula was moving at speeds no other vampire had ever been known to move. Within the next few minutes very few of the vampires were left.
Eddie shouted over the battlefield, "It is over. Andrew is dead. I know many of you did not want any part of this. Stop now and I will convince Barnabas and Dracula to spare you."
The vampires that were left broke off the attack. When they did, Dracula held up his hand and shouted, "Back off!" He walked over to what he believed was the oldest vampire left. "Marcus, this is over between us."
Marcus looked around the room. So many of his friends had already been destroyed. He did not believe what Andrew had planned. He had not wanted a part in this to begin with. He watched as Sergeant Ed Brown, Officer Eve Whitfield and Lieutenant Carl Reese rushed into the tunnel with guns drawn. They were followed by Professor Stokes, Julia Hoffman and Willie Loomis. All of them had weapons that could be used against vampires.
"Dracula, we did not want this war. It was forced on us by Andrew. If we had not become part of it, he would have destroyed us. We would like a truce. We beg that you allow us to exist."
Silence prevailed in the tunnel as everyone waited for Dracula to decide the fate of the remaining vampires. He turned to Chief Ironside. "This is your town, Chief. It is up to you."
His first instinct was to have them destroyed. They had caused havoc in his town and threaten the safety of the people he was pledged to protect. Yet, he was certain most of them did not ask for this existence or wanted to have anything to do with Andrew's war. He looked to Dracula for his assurance. "Will they return to a peaceful existence governed by the council?"
"The council will be led by Morgan. He will be the head of the Vampire Council," Dracula told him.
"We will abide by the council and live by its laws," Marcus said speaking for the remaining vampires. They nodded their approval.
"Let them go, Count, on the condition they return to their homeland. I want them out of San Francisco," Ironside said.
"We will leave immediately," Marcus promised.
"Then leave now, before I change my mind," Ironside growled.
Marcus signaled to the remaining vampires, and they followed him out of the tunnels.
Katherine put her hand on Ironside's shoulder. "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Vampires do actually exist."
Ironside took her hand and kissed it. "There are simply some things we are all better off not knowing."
"Let's get this mess cleaned up and get out of here," Morgan said.
"Morgan, return home and take control of the council," Dracula ordered. "The rest of you go with him. I will not forget how you helped me today."
"Yes, Count, just as soon as we clean up this mess." Everyone went to work, picking up what was left of the destroyed vampires.
Ironside wheeled over to Ed and Eve. "You were a little late to the party, weren't you?"
"We can't turn into bats and fly, Chief," Ed said.
"We have to do it the old fashion way and drive a car," Eve added.
"We got here didn't we?" Ed said.
"A day late and a dollar short," Ironside said as he wheeled away.
Julia, Willie and the Professor joined Barnabas. Julia went into his arms. "I was afraid we would never see you again."
Barnabas smiled. "I told you we would marry as soon as you find a cure for my condition. You didn't think I would let you out of that, did you?" He put his arms around Julia and held her trembling body.
Dracula stared across the room at Angelique. She had to be dealt with. She looked back at him wondering if he would keep his word and destroy her or just send her back to the master. If she had anything to say about it, she would prefer he destroyed her.
*
Ironside wheeled his chair into his office residence. Katherine followed him in. Mark and Commissioner Randall stood up and met him at the bottom of the ramp. "Chief, are you alright?" Mark asked.
"I am fine, Mark," Ironside answered.
"What happened?" Randall said.
"It's over," Ed said as he sat down at the table. Carl and Eve joined him.
"And Ed, Eve and Carl were late to the party," Ironside said. "They showed up after the fight was over."
"We can't fly, Chief," Eve said.
"I should have had Mark bring you. The van's wheels never touch the pavement when he drives."
Katherine smiled. Robert's sense of humor had returned. Sitting beside him, she placed her hand inside of his. He turned his head and smiled at her.
"Exactly where are our resident vampires?" Mark asked.
"Cleaning up the tunnel and making sure the vampires that were left alive are headed out of the country," Ironside told him.
"Alive? Why in blazes would any of them be left alive?" Randall demanded. "I thought they were all supposed to be destroyed."
"Some of them were forced to join Andrew Adell's army against us," Ironside explained. "They didn't want this anymore than we did. They were only too happy to return to their homeland. I left the decision to Barnabas and Dracula."
"What about Adell?" the commissioner questioned.
"He was destroyed by the vampire bat. Angelique turned it on him," Ironside said.
"So then, this nightmare is really over." Mark set a cup of coffee down in front of his boss.
"It's over," Ironside repeated.
Professor Stokes, Willie Loomis and Julia Hoffman entered Ironside's office residence. "They are almost done with the clean up," Professor Stokes said. "It is amazing how fast they work."
"Bob, I am just a bit nervous about the vampires you allowed to live ... or exist ... I guess they are actually already dead," Randall corrected himself.
"Undead," Ironside said before taking a drink of his coffee.
"What?"
"Undead, Dennis. They are dead, but they are not. So technically, they are undead."
Randall rolled his eyes. "You know what I am trying to say. How could you allow any of the vampires to continue to exist? They are a threat to mankind."
"May I remind you, Dennis that six vampires helped us to stop the others. Do you want them destroyed as well?" Ironside's eyes bore into those of his boss.
"Well ... I ..." Randall stammered.
"That's what I thought. A decision had to be made, Dennis. I trust Barnabas Dracula's judgement. They kept their word and stopped a lot of bloodshed. The Vampire Council will be controlled by Morgan. He is level-headed and will see to it the vampires that do exist follow their laws, which means they are not to harm mortals or turn any of them into vampires without the permission of the council."
"Well, I guess that will have to be acceptable then," Randall said.
Suddenly the vampires appeared in the office. "It is done, Robert," Barnabas told him. You would never know there had been a battle in your tunnels. Dracula saw to it that the rest of the vampires left the country. They will not present a problem for you again."
"I promise you the Vampire Council will continue to follow the laws that prohibit our kind from harming humanity. It is the only way we can continue to exist," Morgan assured them." He turned to Dracula and Barnabas. "I thank both of you for stopping Andrew. He would most certainly have brought about our destruction."
The door to the office opened and Angelique walked into the room. She continued down the ramp and headed straight to Count Dracula. "I am here to accept whatever punishment you may inflict on me."
Barnabas looked at his longtime enemy and felt sympathy for her. If he could turn the clock back, he would change what happened that one night over two-hundred years ago. Actually, he knew he could, but he would not for selfish reasons. He had never been allowed to live his life as a mortal man. If he went back and changed the timeline, he would not exist right now.
He looked at Julia with love in his eyes. He had a real chance at happiness with her and he was not about to throw that away. He only hoped that Angelique would eventually move on from him, find real love and be happy. He saw the look in Dracula's eyes. If he had to, he would intervene. He would not allow Dracula to destroy her. Her actions were the continuation of his indiscretion so many years ago.
Dracula looked into Angelique's eyes. "You almost cost the life of both Katherine and Robert."
Ironside noticed that Dracula had used his first name. Was he destined to have vampires as friends? He just shook his head at the thought.
"It was not my intention, Count. I realize now what I did was foolish. It would not have made any difference with Barnabas. If I could change what I did, I would. I regret my actions."
Dracula searched her face for some sign she was only saying what she believed everyone wanted to hear. He did not see any. Could she actually be being sincere about her regret over what she had done? "You should be punished."
"That is why I came back. I could have fled in hopes that you would never find me," she pointed out.
"I would have made it my mission to find you, Angelique," Count Dracula told her.
"I suppose that is true, but I did not flee. I am here to face whatever punishment you deem necessary. I do have one request. If you deem it necessary to return me to the master, I would prefer my own destruction."
"She did help us find the vampire lair, and she saved both Katherine's and your life," Ironside said. "Misguided as she may have been, she turned the vampire bat on several of the vampires."
"Including me," Dracula said.
"I did it because you were in trouble. There were too many for you to overcome. I knew the vampire bat would not kill you, so I ordered it to bite you. I knew it would make you stronger," Angelique told him. "And it did, did it not?"
"It did," Dracula said.
"Dracula, Angelique did not mean us any harm and we did not lose anyone in the process. I beg of you to reconsider her punishment," Barnabas pleaded.
"She did save your existence, Count Dracula," Ironside said.
Angelique could not believe Robert Ironside was arguing on her side! She thought the man despised her.
"Yes, she did," Dracula agreed. He looked over at Angelique. "I should send you back to the master."
"Yes, Count, but I would prefer to be destroyed than to go to that terrible place."
"Dracula, would it mean anything to you if I asked you not to destroy Angelique? As it has been pointed out, no one died as a result of her meddling, and we would have had to face Andrew and his army anyway," Barnabas said.
Angelique smiled at the vampire. She only wished he would realize how much she loved him. She could make him happy if he only gave her the opportunity to do so. She waited for Dracula to respond.
"I have no desire to destroy you, Angelique. I never have. I must admit I am in the same position you are. You keep hoping that Barnabas will come to love you, and I keep hoping you will come to love me. How can I destroy you for what I am just as guilty of?"
"Thank you Count." Angelique made a decision she hoped she would not regret. "Maybe we should both hope that we could someday love one another."
Dracula looked at the witch hopefully. "Do you mean that, Angelique, or are you just saying what you think I want to hear?"
She stepped in front of him. "I am willing to try, Dracula. I cannot promise you more than that. If you are willing to not expect me to become a vampire, I am willing to see if a love between us can grow, that is if you will take a chance."
Dracula smiled down at her. "I am willing to take that chance." He put out his hand and Angelique took it. "We will take our leave of you. I trust, Barnabas, you will do what is necessary."
Barnabas understood immediately. "Everyone but Robert?"
"He has proven he can be trusted," Dracula agreed.
"Then, yes, I will take care of it," Barnabas assured him.
Dracula stepped over to the younger vampire. "Our paths will cross again. If you ever need me, you know where to find me. You might even try visiting sometime."
"I have every intention of it," Barnabas assured him. "In the meantime, we will keep in contact by phone."
"Oh yes, modern inventions," Dracula said, shaking his head. He looked at the detective in the wheelchair. "Chief Ironside, you are indeed an honorable man. I will be proud to call you a friend. I offer you this. If you would like to leave that wheelchair for good, I would be willing, with the Vampire Council's permission," he said, nodding at Morgan and Miranda, "to turn you. As a vampire, you would not be confined to that chair."
Ironside had no decision to make. "Thank you, Count Dracula, but I prefer to live and die as a mortal, even if it means being confined to this wheelchair for the rest of my life."
Dracula bowed. "As you wish. If you ever need me, Barnabas will know how to find me." With that, he and Angelique left his office.
"That is our cue," Morgan said. "We must return and bring order back to the Vampire Council. Eddie and Damon, we would love to have you serve on the council."
Both vampires agreed it would be an honor. All four of them disappeared before everyone.
"Julia, it is time," Barnabas said.
"Mark, Ed, Eve, Carl, please have a seat at the table," Ironside requested as each one of them had gotten up and were standing around their vampire allies.
"If you are going to make us forget again," Mark said, "I want no part of it."
"Me neither," Ed agreed.
Fortunately, Eve was the voice of reason. "It is better that we do not know about vampires. The chief and Barnabas are right." She sat down at the table as Ironside had requested. It took a minute before Ed and Mark relented and joined her. Carl stood there for a moment, but then sat down as well.
"Julia," Barnabas said.
Doctor Hoffman stepped forward and took the medallion out of her purse. "Chief Ironside, if you would wheel your chair away from the table, I would appreciate the room."
Carl did not understand. "Wait a minute, aren't you going to make the chief forget as well?"
"No one has ever been able to hypnotize the chief," Ed pointed out.
"That is why he is allowed to remember," Julia said. That was not entirely true as Barnabas wanted the chief to remember. He wanted their friendship to be without secrets.
Doctor Hoffman began swinging the medallion in front of Robert Ironside's staff. "You are all getting sleepy. Your eyes are heavy. You want to close them. You are unable to keep them open any longer."
Ironside watched as all of them closed their eyes at the same time.
"You will not remember the events that have happened here in San Francisco. There were no vampires. They only exist in the movies. Barnabas I came to visit Chief Ironside along with Willie and the professor. You will remember they became friends when you came to Collinsport, Maine to help solve a case.
"The case here in San Francisco has been solved. The killer has been shot and killed. He was a drifter from Mexico. His family requested his body be returned to his homeland. Ed and Carl took care of it. The murders now have stopped. The commissioner has put a lid on this case so as to not panic the citizens of San Francisco. You are not allowed to mention it to anyone. When you awaken this is what you will remember. You will have no memory of Dracula or any of the vampires. When I snap my fingers, you all will awaken." Julia Hoffman snapped her fingers; everyone at the table opened their eyes.
"So now that we have sent the body to Mexico," Ed said, "what is our next case?"
Commissioner Randall smiled. He could not help but wonder it Bob had ever used this process to make him forget things. In fact, he wondered why he had not insisted that he sit with his staff and have his memory erased as well. Randall did not know whether he could be hypnotized as it had never been tried. Maybe that is why Bob did not insist his memory be erased as well.
"We will decide which of the cases the commissioner has dumped in our laps to start on tomorrow," Ironside told his staff. For now, I would like you all to go home and get some rest."
They stood up from the table and began to leave. Mark headed for his room, figuring the chief wanted some privacy with his friends.
"Mark, your Aunt Ruby wanted you to help her with some chores. This might be a good time for you to go over there, spend the night and help her tomorrow."
Mark stood there for a moment and realized the chief must want complete privacy, so he did not argue. "Can I take the van?"
"The keys are on the desk," his boss said.
Mark went into his room, threw some things he would need for the overnight visit into a suitcase and removed the keys from the top of the desk. "Is there anything I can get you before I go?"
"No, Mark. Say hello to your aunt Ruby for me," Ironside said.
"Will do." Mark Sanger left the chief's office residence.
Once Mark left the office, Commissioner Randall asked, "Why did you allow me to remember the events of the last few days, Bob?"
"You are the commissioner and it is your duty to protect the citizens of this city as well. Besides, you may need that knowledge to make up a plausible story to convince the city council the threat is now over."
"Oh yes, the city council. I had forgotten about them. Well, I better get home, my wife will be calling to check on me." He looked over at the vampire and his friends. "I still can't believe you exist, but I now know it to be true. Have a safe trip back to Maine." With that, Randall left Ironside's office.
"When will you be returning home?" Ironside asked.
"Julia has already made arrangements for us to fly back with the same private flight that brought us here. We will be leaving tomorrow."
Ironside looked directly into his vampire friend's eyes. "Barnabas, I thank you for coming here and risking your life to help me."
"You risked your life to help me last time," the vampire said. "It was the least I could do in return. Besides, the threat to the Vampire Council was grave and had to be addressed. Rest assured it is now in very good hands. Incidents like what happened here will be dealt with severely."
"What are your plans?" the chief asked.
"We shall go back home as Julia works on a cure for my condition."
"How is it coming?" he asked.
"Slow, but we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel," Julia said. "Because of time travel, we know we will find the cure."
"Be sure to let me know when you do," Ironside said sincerely. He looked over at Willie and the professor. "Thanks to both of you for your help as well."
"Chief, it was our pleasure," Stokes said. "And what about you? What is next for you?"
"Right now I am going to bed. Unlike Barnabas here, I sleep at night. My staff will be in by nine in the morning." He reached out his hand to the vampire. "I hope the next time I see you, you will be a mere mortal again. Katherine, are you coming?"
"Yes, Robert." She stepped behind his wheelchair and prepared to begin pushing him towards his room.
Barnabas smiled. "That would be my hope as well." He shook Ironside's hand and watched him disappear into his bedroom, realizing they had not erased the events from Katherine's memory. "I have never been in San Francisco before. Would you good people like to join me and see the sights?"
The professor and Willie declined, knowing Barnabas was simply being polite. He really wanted to share them with Julia only. They watched as the two of them left the office.
In Ironside's bedroom, Kathrine pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows. She watched as Robert turned on the television and began searching for a movie to downstream for viewing. She continued watching him for a moment before asking, "Robert, are you searching any movie in particular?"
"As a matter fact I am. I am looking for the story of Dracula. I believe Bela Lugosi played the part."
"Robert, that movie is older than we are. Why would you want to watch that?"
"Why? To learn the life story of a friend, what else?"
The End
*I do not own the characters of Dark Shadows or Ironside. They are the creation of Dan Curtis and Collier Young. The rest of the characters were created in my mind to tell the story.
Thank you to all of you that read and reviewed. I hope you enjoyed the story.
Also, thank you to my beta, Journeythroughtime for her work getting these ready for publication.