Author's Note:
MegaCon was AWESOME! Seriously, it was great despite the shear amount of furries, Hetalia cosplayers (I have nothing against Hetalia but the number was ridiculous), and nu!Trekkies (who have no idea how great TOS was and are totally missing out on some quality slash). Anyway, I have this super cool Kirk/Spock slash badge and it is soooooooooo cute! (I also have more pron but that's not the point.) On to a more serious matter: Where are all my favorite reviewers (not that I don't love all of you, but these guys have been here since the beginning)? Writertron and Mindofzeus1 (so glad to see you back Insanely Me!): You are MIA and I'm sending out an alert. If you three have tired of this story, please write a review saying such so I can stop worrying (I'm a worrier, live with it). Also, have none of you been able to figure out the quote and its TV show of origin from the last chapter? Really? It's so obvious!
Actually I don't think they're even trying; they probably don't even read the ANs we write… either that or the quality of reader that we have has the collective IQ of a second grader… *gives readers calculating glare*
(Psssst! You might want to take up that insult as a challenge; she sounds pissed. Oh, and as fair warning: This is where the crossover portion of the story begins; if you haven't watched the first episode of Leverage I advise you to go do so. Also, this is where that side story we posted under Leverage - This Isn't Wonderland - syncs up; please go read it.)
Chapter 24
In Iraya's room, the proud woman was seated in Snake's lap, crying brokenly. How could her children do this to her? The man in question was holding the ancient woman awkwardly, unused to comforting someone as they sobbed into his shoulder, and to holding someone taller than two feet in his lap. It was a tad disconcerting.
He took a deep breath to rally his composure, "Tell me what's wrong? I can't be an effective pet if I don't know what's wrong with my Mistress."
Iraya sniffed miserably as she straightened from her draped position, "My children betrayed me!"
Snake opened his mouth in a silent 'ah' before what she said finally processed, "Children?"
"A human who has been turned by a vampire is called a 'childe' and the vampire who turned the human is a 'sire'. I have turned many over the centuries but only my most recent two are still alive. Ambrose and Elspeth. I found the two of them half dead in Scotland around December 1874; they were so sweet when they were little. I gave them the choice when they were older to be turned...and now they've betrayed me." She broke into sobs once more, Snake actively trying to comfort her this time.
"Why would they wish to betray you, my lady, and what does the assault this morning have to do with any of it? Is he working for them?" he asked softly, trying to be get information without causing her more pain.
"His name is Saika-me," she dried her tears on a handkerchief she pulled from her pocket. "He's, he's...He's what I could have easily made you into. He's Elspeth's pet like you are my pet though...she took it down a darker path."
Snake thought for a moment before her meaning sank in fully, "He's her slave."
"Yes. When a vampire creates a pet they have the opportunity to mold that person to their will by erasing memories and instilling complete loyalty. They're dolls really; when you empty them of memories you make them into a doll. They've no free will or perception that they should and once did have free will. It's why I've never taken a pet before you, little soldier." She leaned her head into his chest as he carefully ran his fingers through her hair. He was a good pet, maybe in a few centuries he would be a good childe. Maybe.
Snake was lost in thought as he mulled this new information over, if his Mistress' children were responsible for sending the man who had nearly killed them all then there must be something major going on. "Milady... if you were able to get that information from hi- sorry, Saika-me, then you must have also learned of whatever his Mistress has planned. Right?"
She shook her head without looking up, "No. He was only told to eliminate me by any means he desired. Neither Elspeth nor Ambrose told him anything pertinent."
The soldier pressed his lips together in annoyance. "Which means once again we're going to have to risk our lives to save the world," Snake muttered darkly.
"Sounds about right," she murmured sleepily.
A loud knock on the door startled the pair from their thoughts; it was Peng, "Are you two up for dinner? It's lamb stew tonight."
"We're coming," she called back while climbing out of her pet's lap and making herself presentable.
As the pair made their way to the kitchen Snake pondered the implications of what his Mistress had told him. If Iraya's own children wanted her dead, and she was at the top of the proverbial pyramid... "I think your kids are trying to take the Vampire Throne."
"I figured as much but there could be other reasons. It's best not to set your mind on just one idea, though; if you plan for everything you won't be surprised when things change."
"Yeah, but what other logical reason could there be? I mean, they haven't sent any warning letters asking for anything, they haven't tried to kidnap you in order to gain access to your memories and vast knowledge, all they've tried to do is murder you and everyone else in this house."
"They are my children and I have more than just the throne," she replied softly.
"Such as?" The soldier prompted as they entered the dining room and settled in their customary positions.
"Have you ever wondered why you don't hear more about the supernatural outside of the telly or crackpots?"
"Because, as a whole, humans are ignorant and don't wish to believe in things they see as 'mythical'," Eagle stated, deadpan as he poked uninterestedly at his stew.
"Not quite. There is a massive bit of magic anchored to the Seven Sages that blinds humans - well, most humans anyway - to the supernatural. It also prohibits access to certain areas of the magical world to anyone not granted permission by the Seven Sages or is actually one of the Seven Sages. This includes the Library at Alexandria, Atlantis, the Castle in the Sky, the Yggdrasil Tree, and many other places of great power. Li and I are two of the Seven. One way to become a member is to be a descendent of the Sage that dies or is killed," she explained patiently.
Kia blinked and looked up at the vampiress curiously, "So if someone kills Grandfather, Yassen and/or I would become Sages?"
"Yassen would, yes. It goes to the oldest living direct descendent," the older dragon answered. "Ira, why bring this up?"
"Because it's one possibility. The prisoner in the basement is Saika-me, Elspeth's pet. My children have decided they no longer need me as their sire, Li."
Peng frowned at this announcement and set his spoon down in order to steeple his fingers as he mulled what he knew of Iraya's children over in his brain. What he knew didn't paint a terribly flattering picture. The vampiress saw her old friends look, "Don't start, Li. Just...not right now." The sorrow she'd been concealing glimmered in her eyes for but a moment before it was hidden once more. Snake sent a glare at the Chinese man; he'd just managed to calm his Mistress down and the old guy was upsetting her again.
The dragon ignored the young man and turned to Mrs. Jones, "Would it be possible to utilize some of your men for a highly dangerous mission?"
She looked at him warily and crossed her arms, "I want a detailed mission plan beforehand - like I would expect from any regular member of MI6." The woman ignored the snort from Rider's direction.
Peng shook his head at the agent's declaration and turned to his grandson, "Who do you know and trust from your early years? Before you became SCORPIA's best."
"There is one man, Grandfather. He's a retrieval specialist now working with a team out of Boston, Massachusetts in America. His 'boss' is Nathan Ford...I doubt they know that man as well as they think they do...They could be of use." He shrugged and silently prayed to whatever deity existed that his angel didn't find out about his one-off with the hitter; he didn't need his mate thinking he was trying to stir up an old fling. Alex watched his lover closely as the older man spoke; he was hiding something from the teen and he really didn't appreciate it. As Yassen stood from the table, intending to give the Southerner a call, the Sorcerer followed closely behind. The blonde watched silently as the Russian dialed a number and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.
He waited a pause, Nathan Ford had answered the phone, "I wish to speak with Eliot Spencer if you don't have him paralyzed or tied up, Mastermind." Another pause, "Spencer, it's Gregorovich."
This time the assassin yanked the phone from his ear as the American yelled, "Gregorovich? What the hell? Ya shoot me in the leg and leave me to die and ten years later ya just call me up? WHAT THE FUCK!"
The ex-spy tried to muffle his...giggling; Yassen's look of pain - the hitter could screech - was rather amusing. The blue-eyed man glared before answering, "My apologies, Spencer, but I was wondering if you and your team would be interested in something..."
He could hear a scuffle on the other end before Ford responded, "This is where you talk to me, Gregorovich."
After laying out the basics of what their rough idea of a plan for taking down the vampire coup, Ford agreed that he and his team would be flying out to Romania. They made tentative plans for the assassin to pick them up sometime next week before Yassen hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. Sometimes it was a wonder the majority of the world believed Nathan Ford to still wear a white hat.
"Why are you so afraid of him, Dragon?" the Brit asked as he embraced his mate from behind.
The mutt sighed as he thought back on his few encounters with Mastermind. "He is the closest thing that I have ever seen to a killing machine that was not trained to be that way. He cannot connect himself to others because he sees them as nothing more than large, moving chunks of meat to be played with."
"And he plays Robin Hood?" the Sorcerer's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Yes. From the sounds of things, Eliot Spencer is his lover and he's...protective of him but is also willing to torture Spencer if he so inclined." The older man paused long enough to turn around embrace his mate, "Don't ever allow yourself to be alone with him; promise me that, Ангел мой."
Alex nuzzled Yassen's chest and mumbled a soft affirmative. After a few moments the pair broke apart and returned to the dining room to give the good news to the rest of their bizarre family.
"The Leverage team will fly over later this week. I must warn you to not allow yourselves to be alone with Nathan Ford," the Russian informed.
All but Mrs. Jones nodded in understanding, "Why would you say that Mr. Gregorovich? I have met Mr. Ford on several occasions while he was busy chasing down thieves in England. I see no reason for there to be any extra caution used around him."
The younger dragon rubbed his eyes exasperatedly, "Have you ever heard of 'The Mastermind'?"
"Of course, he terrorized Europe and America for years."
"Do you know the details of what he did to his victims?"
Jones paused as she ran through her mental filing cabinet on the subject, "Chemically paralyzed, tortured to death over a series of days, sometimes weeks. What does this have to do with Nathan Ford?"
"Nathan Ford IS Mastermind; he's very good at pretending to be someone he's not. You probably thought he was charming and maybe a little eccentric; he's not. He's perfectly human but there isn't a shred of humanity left within him."
Jones scoffed at the assassin's statement; she didn't believe him in the least bit, she had met Ford, he was harmless. Her expression reflected her skepticism and made Yassen sigh in exasperation.
"Angel, would you please go into the armory and retrieve the documents pertaining to Ford from the filing cabinet. Third from the right, second drawer from the bottom..." Alex was quick to comply; he was out and back before his mate had time to fully sit down. The file itself was bulging, almost falling apart it was so large and the ex-spy handled it carefully, fearing that it would fall apart and screw up the assassin's impressive research.
There were multiple smaller files within the larger one; he noisily tossed the files on the table with each following city, "London, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dublin, Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille, Milan, Venice, Rome, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Moscow, Beijing, Macau, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kyoto, and every one of the states in the United States of America. Each one of these files is a Mastermind case and every time Ford is in the city of the murder at the time of the murder. And if that hasn't convinced you, then you should know that SCORPIA had an avoidance order on Ford; all operatives were to avoid Nathan Ford at all costs."
Stunned silence followed Gregorovich's announcement as the proof sank into the MI6 agents' and soldiers' heads. Alex shifted in discomfort at his lover's actions; it was frightening to think that the man who had been frightening enough to threaten SCORPIA would be arriving at his home in short order.
"How is this in any way a good idea? He's a bloody psychopath-" Wolf started before Yassen interrupted.
"His team will be with him and he seems to behave as long as Eliot Spencer is with him. I don't want any of you alone with him as a precaution; if he decides to act on his homicidal urges he likely won't go for any of the women, Grandfather, or Alex. His preference is to break strong, athletic men; as in any member of K-Unit."
Crawley finally spoke softly, "I understand your worry but... how do we know that his team will actually cooperate with us? From all that you have said he doesn't seem the type to willingly work with a presumed-dead assassin, the English government, nor any magical creatures of which I don't think he even realizes exist. How do you expect us to trust a psychopath?"
"I don't expect you to trust him; his team, from all data available, is trustworthy unless you are the mark."
"I suppose there will be no way for either of us to decide one way or the other until they arrive and we are able to meet them and make a decision." The senior agent sighed and motioned for the Russian to continue.
"When they arrive we'll make further plans on how to deal with Ambrose and Elspeth; until then, every day is just another day." He rubbed his temples; the headache was rapidly becoming a migraine. "Can we please eat now?" Peng smiled at his grandson as the old man and Iraya began setting the food on the table and motioned for everyone began to dig in hungrily.