25. DEJA VU
- - - CORALINE GRAY-WILLOUGHBY - - -
The idea that a creep like Elliot had possibly been messing around in my head was both scary and disgusting. I didn't care if it helped our cause, I was secretly hoping Grant and Edward wouldn't find a thing in there. That wasn't up to me to decide, though.
The three of us jumped in Edward's sport utility and drove about 15 miles out of town, getting far enough off the beaten path and into the mountains that we could have some sense of security. Once we were parked, the safe-cracking began. I was familiar enough with people trying to figure me out – sessions with psychologists and guidance counselors were a regular occurrence at the orphanage where I grew up. This was a completely different level of mental trespassing. It's not that I had anything to hide, but it made me more than a little self-conscious to have Edward sifting through my memories like a photo album.
The process was long and tedious. I didn't completely understand what they were doing, but on a basic level, Grant would use his mind to poke around in my brain and start stimulating different areas related to memory. Pieces of the memories Elliot scrambled would stand out somehow, like they were loose and movable, or something like that. Edward was watching my thoughts constantly, looking for the pieces that seemed to go together. When he found them, he would tell Grant, and they would somehow move stuff around to get the connections back in line. I tried to get Grant to explain it to me better, but he kept getting frustrated trying to describe it, and Edward kept telling me to focus, so I gave up and just sat there.
It was a really weird experience, having random memories thrown up onto your consciousness without you trying to think of them. Some of them were pleasant, some were painful... some were pretty darn embarrassing. Edward was a gentleman about it, which helped a little. I was still ready for it to be over as soon as it started.
It took the boys 6 hours of work to complete the missing memory, but they did it. I can't really describe what it felt like when they got the last piece in – it was sort of like that deja vu feeling, but with the weirdness and easily-accepted reality of a dream. Edward followed along, transcribing my thoughts to Grant, as I started from the beginning and relived the experience.
It's weird – I couldn't remember how I got on the jet with Philippe. Sometimes my mind got caught up in something else, and I found myself someplace familiar without remembering how I got there. This was definitely not a familiar place, though. The small, private plane was more luxuried-out than any car or boat Philippe had ever brought me in. Everything was plush leather, polished hardwoods and high-end chrome finishes that caught your reflection like mirrors all over the cabin. It was typical Philippe-grade stuff.
As soon as he came back from the cockpit, I asked him where we were headed, since I didn't remember that, either.
"It's a surprise, remember?" He said, with that stupid flirty one-eyebrow-raised move.
Great, I thought, with a half-effort courtesy smile. I don't like the idea of surprises with this guy...
It was freezing outside when we got off the plane. Everything was frozen in white as far as I could see in every direction, which at least gave me a starting point as to where on earth we were. I wasn't satisfied with guessing, though.
"Okay, Philippe," I pestered him. "Can you at least tell me what continent we're on?"
"We're in Greenland," he replied matter-of-factly. "Far to the north, where it's too cold for the humans to come snooping."
Super! He brought me out into the middle of nowhere. What's next?
We climbed in some type of snowmobile and drove for about a half an hour, before a hatch opened up in front of us, right out of the ice. We drove through the opening, descending underground for another 10 minutes or so, before we came to a large, steel wall.
"This is our stop," Philippe said nonchalantly, gesturing for me to get out with him, while the vehicle's driver turned it around and started heading back to the surface. Without him saying or doing anything, the wall parted right down the middle, making much less noise than you would think it should, and we walked through.
"Tell me, Coraline," he began asking, as we passed through the first of a series of high-tech security checkpoints. "If you could create the perfect political system from the ground up – no restrictions whatsoever – what would it look like?"
"I dunno... why do you ask?" I answered, trying to see where he was going with this. I could tell there was an agenda behind the question, but he didn't want to divulge it.
"I'm just curious," he replied. "How would you set things up, if it were up to you?"
"Well..." I stalled, choosing my words carefully. "It would be representative, for one thing. A perfect government is one that serves the governed, so people would need a voice. Wait – are we talking about humans or vampires?"
"Vampires. Of course."
"Right. Well, um... it would be heavy on individual responsibility, but provide for laws that ensured equity and justice."
"That's all very nice," he said, with a condescending edge to his tone, "but what I was more trying to ask is, what would the leadership structure be like? A dictatorship? A straight democracy? A triumvirate?"
I was beginning to see where this was going, and it made me uncomfortable.
"I don't really know... I guess a combination of the three," I said, trying to avoid talking myself into a corner, as we came at last to a large, round room that was furnished like a post-modern lounge. "It would all depend on who's leading. If you could have one person lead it who would be absolutely fair and impartial, then that would be the best, but since nobody's fair, I don't know... maybe a rotation, or something."
He gestured for me to have a seat across from him in a circular leather chair, leaning across the gap between us slightly as he presented his next idea.
"Wouldn't it be great if someone could lead that way? Free from the restraints of tradition, able to adjust to the changing needs of the vampire world?"
"Uh, sure... I guess. But I think the Volturi are pretty set in their ways. Even if you wanted to get them to change..."
"What if they were taken out of the equation?" He asked, lacing his fingers together and looking at me with narrowed eyes.
"Wait – are you saying what I think you're saying? 'Cause if you are-"
"The Volturi have had their time," he interrupted, "they have proven their usefulness. I respect them for that. They've accomplished much. They're out of touch with the changing society, though. Their archaic ways are like fetters around the feet of the young and talented, such as yourself."
"I don't understand – what is it about them that's so old-fashioned?"
"Their very core – their one law. The requirement that we hide our true nature from the world."
"You have a problem with that?"
"Absolutely! As should you. Think about it, Coraline. We are a superior race. Immortal. Beautiful. Fully beyond human ability in every way. We are gods among peasants, and yet, we cower in fear, hiding from these slugs with skeletons as if we were lepers. Don't you ever grow tired of the shame and secrecy?"
"Yeah – I get tired of hiding sometimes. We all do. It's the only way we can keep human society intact, though."
"And why should we give a damn about human society? Why should we strive to walk among the humans? Why should we place their culture on a pedestal, as if it was somehow superior to ours, when ours far surpasses theirs in every way? Imagine a world where vampires were free to live in openness, unashamed of their true nature. Imagine a life where the servile human race revered you as the deity you are, where they made statues of your image in their streets, and wrote songs about your ravishing beauty."
"I knew you thought a lot of yourself, but you've really gone off the deep end this time."
"No, I'm very much grounded in reality. Let me show you something," he said, standing and leading me out of the room, down a wide hallway, and into a small cube-shaped room with a cylindrical column in the middle. He pressed a button, and a 3-dimensional holographic image appeared, floating above the column.
"I give you Olympus," he said with obvious pride in his voice.
"What is it?" I asked, looking over the disc-shaped object.
"The new cultural center of the world. A radiant crystalline city of the gods, floating high above the clouds in perpetual sunlight." He waved his hand and spun the image around, zooming in on different areas as he continued talking. "This will be the new home for the vampire race. A city of palaces befitting our nature. It will be completely suspended in the air, separate from the filth of the human existence. This is our future."
"Okay, first of all... I thought you didn't want to hide from humans anymore. And second, how is a city like this even possible?"
"Coraline, my dear, you think in such simple terms. We won't be hiding from the humans, we'll be ruling them. Every human alive will know of our existence and revere us as their rulers. And the city is quite possible, I assure you. Through a combination of a few newly-created materials and fuel provided from the servantile humans, it will remain suspended in the air forever – all fifteen square miles of it. Olympus will be a perfect place – a beautiful place, with every cultural element needed to live in peace and fulfillment forever. You would never have reason to step foot on the earth again."
"And what about blood? How would you survive up there?"
"Human sacrifices. All deities demand them. Through various religions, humans have been preconditioned to accept them for thousands of years. In response to our greatness and benevolence to the humans for allowing them to live on our earth, we will demand a number of daily human sacrifices to be delivered to us."
"And what if they resist? Humans are stubborn and rebellious by nature."
"If they refuse, we'll take the sacrifices by force, and then we'll administer just punishment to see to it that they don't rebel again. It's a workable model, Coraline. We've already begun preliminary construction, and we've tested numerous prototypes. It will work."
"This is a dream world, Philippe. No one will go for it. Not the vampire population, not the humans, and definitely not the Volturi."
"They will accept it," he replied with cold, subdued anger. "They won't be given the choice."
"You can't just force-feed the Volturi an idea like this!" I said, getting a little more passionate in my reply than I expected to. "They're the Volturi. They've been in power forever because no one can stand up to them."
"They're powerful, yes. But I'm powerful, too. More than they know. More than you know. Come, let me give you a taste of revolutionary power."
He shut the hologram down and led me down another hallway, where room after room was filled with human and vampire test subjects undergoing various experiments. It was more than a little unsettling.
"The vampire world has been living in blind ignorance of their nature for thousands of years," he said, as he continued to lead me down the maze-like halls. "No one strove to understand the inner working of things, satisfied to leave vampire nature as a mystical unknown. I have brought scientific discovery to our dark ages." He stopped in front of one of the rooms, continuing his speech. "I've been coordinating a comprehensive program of experimentation on humans and vampires since the nineteen-forties. My colleagues and I have studied every in-and-out of both races, noting their similarities and differences, their strengths and weaknesses. What we've learned has given us a formidable advantage on the established power in our world. Here, let me give you an example."
He led me through the door behind him into a small room, where a young vampire girl sat on a metal chair, perfectly motionless.
"When you go without blood for, say, a week, you get terribly thirsty. Do you know what happens when a vampire goes for thirty years without drinking?" He asked, with a sinister grin tweaking the corner of his mouth. "This," he said, answering his own question as he slapped the girl in the face. She didn't budge. "Peggy, here, was one of our early test subjects in blood deprivation. What we found was that after six or seven years, her cells began to slow down, until finally, she went into complete hibernation – a statue, if you will."
"That's cruel," I said, disgusted. "I suppose you didn't give her a choice, either."
"Some might find it cruel," he replied nonchalantly. "I find it fascinating. Do you know what we learned from little Peggy? We learned that vampires are living organisms, just like the rest of the world. We have our own set of rules and biological processes, many of which can be bent to my advantage. Let me show you something else," he said, leading me out of the room. I lingered on Peggy's frozen face for a moment, as my stomach turned. She couldn't have been more than fourteen years old – probably a runaway or an orphan during the second World War. The poor thing never had a chance – experimented on like she was a lab rat, enduring torture, all to satisfy Philippe's scientific curiosity. My heart broke for her and all the others like her who filled the hallways in this twisted laboratory. At the same time, I felt fear – fear that I'd end up like her if I didn't play my cards right. It was that fear that caused me to follow Philippe for more of his macabre tour.
The next room he took me to was a lot bigger than the last few, with large, metallic bins lined up in rows all across it.
"This is where we keep the teeth," he said, walking to one of the bins and grabbing a handful of incisors. He let them cascade back into the bin through his fingers as he continued. "Hundreds of thousands of them. You remember Mbete's ax, don't you? I could make hundreds of them now. How's that for power?"
I looked over the 4-foot-high bins for a moment. "Where did you get all these?"
"Donors," he said casually. "Humans breed fairly quickly, given the right circumstances. We've been stocking up on teeth for years."
"But those aren't human teeth."
"And your point is..."
"You killed vampires for these. The same 'superior race' that you are. Shouldn't that seem wrong to you?"
"O, come, Coraline! Don't be so simplistic. The poor brutes were killed as soon as their tissues transitioned. Most of them never even woke up from the change. I'd hardly qualify them as vampires. Besides, I didn't kill them just for their teeth."
He took me into the room next door, which was filled with similar bins.
"These are for transplants," he said, opening one of the bins to display an assortment of index fingers. "Everyone knows that vampires can't regrow lost tissue, but they can assimilate pieces from other vampires."
"Let me guess – donors?" I asked coldly.
"Waste not, want not. Teeth are valuable, but it would have been a terrible shame to throw away the rest of the bodies. We've found a use for all sorts of things, from eyes to hair to tongues."
"And what about the thousands of people you've killed?" I asked, appalled at his indifference. "Don't you feel even a little remorse?"
"Why should I?" He answered arrogantly. "I harvested organs from humans, the same way they harvest wood or stone from their world. That's what they're here for – to provide us with resources."
"Don't you remember that you were a human once upon a time? How are you all of a sudden so much better than these that you changed just to harvest?"
"Oh, but I am so much better," he retorted. "Better than they are, better than the Volturi. Have a look at something else I've devised."
He led me back through several of the experimental hallways, to another wing of the compound, where a large, intimidating vampire was laying on a metal table, with wires attached to his arms.
"Do you know why newborn vampires are so much more powerful than experienced ones?" He asked, as we looked at the vampire on the table.
"Because their body is still filled with blood from their human days, right?"
"Correct. And why can't veteran vampires get that much blood?"
"Um... I don't know – because we can't drink enough?"
"Precisely. A stomach can only process so much blood at once. But what if you could bypass the stomach? What if you could administer blood intravenously?" He gestured to the wires in the vampire's arms. "When this brute is finished, he'll be as strong as a newborn, but with all the self-control and fighting technique of a seasoned veteran."
"How is that possible?"
"All it takes is a little incision in the right place and a handful of proper tubes. And a thorough understanding of anatomy, of course. Imagine... an army of newborn-strong killers, bred and trained for the sole purpose of overthrowing the established power and ushering in a new era of dominance for the true vampire race. No one will be able to stand against us."
"No, you're wrong. Even with fighters like this, you won't be a match for the Volturi. They have Jane and Alec. And Aro, of course. As soon as he catches wind of what you're doing here, you're finished."
"Let them keep Jane and Alec," he said, unimpressed. "I have thirty-one fighters right now – twelve of them specials. They will walk all over the Volturi Guard."
"How? Aren't you afraid that Aro will find out, or that Demetri will see them?"
"I have ways of working around Aro. He's not as all-knowing as he thinks he is. And as for Demetri, his vision has its limits. I have two full-size facilities – this one, and a larger one in Chile – that are completely invisible to him. They're built right over substantial magnetic anomalies – the same kind of loopholes that the Sons of Alphaeus have been using to hide from him for centuries. They'll never see us coming. Oh, and the thirty-one soldiers – they're just for intimidation. I have one superpower who's so formidable, the Volturi themselves will tremble in fear at the thought of him. I just need to get a few more pieces in place, and he'll be ready – an angel of destruction, with power beyond their imagination. We will sweep them away like dust."
"No, you're going to get yourself killed, Philippe. Aro's going to find out one way or another, and your head will be on the chopping block, along with everyone in this building. Why are you even telling me this?"
"Because I want you to join me. When the new regime begins, I will be the most powerful creature in the universe. I want you to reign with me as my queen. You'll have every delicacy your heart could desire. Power, fame, adoration, absolute security."
"You've got to be kidding."
"I think you know I'm quite serious."
"Yeah, well I think you're quite suicidal. There's no way I'm going along with this."
"Don't be so quick to judge, Coraline. The offer I'm making you is not one to take lightly. The entire balance of world power will soon be shifting radically. You wouldn't want to be caught on the wrong side when everything falls into place."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a reminder of how good a deal I'm offering you."
"First lady to a cruel dictator? Forget it. I'm not interested."
"Am I any more cruel than the Volturi? Than the Romanians? Power changes hands by force. Like it or not, that's the way of the world."
"Enslaving humans, breeding them for supplies like cattle? That's way over the line."
"Oh, for god's sake, Coraline! They're humans! Weak, decaying hairless apes. Don't act so self-righteous. You've killed countless 'innocent' people to sustain your own life. I just use them for more comprehensive purposes."
"Your use of them is disgusting, and so is your offer," I said finally, getting right up in his face. "There's no way I'm taking it."
He frowned and sighed heavily, speaking in a cold, emotionless tone.
"That's quite disappointing. I had hoped that you would have at least considered it, especially since I brought you all the way down here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, tapping a button on it. "Normally, refusal of this sort of thing ends very badly, but given our history together, I'm willing to give you a chance to reconsider."
"I won't change my mind," I said defiantly. He'd just have to kill me. I wouldn't play a part in this.
"Oh, I think you will," he said with a slight smirk reappearing on his mouth. Elliot Pinter stepped into the room behind him, accompanied by two large guards. He looked different – darker, more sullen. His eyes were different, too. Instead of their usual red, they were glowing with a sick yellow, and not just the irises. The whites, the pupils, everything was lit up like glowing hot metal. I don't spook easily, but this was a whole new level of creepy. I was at a loss for words, trying to back slowly away, though I knew there was nowhere to go. My instincts took over, and I started to leap to one side and try to force my way past Elliot and his guards, but an odd, cold numbness took me before I could move three inches, moving my body back into place like someone had a remote control for my limbs.
"Don't fight this, Coraline," Philippe said casually, as Elliot glided closer, eyes still aglow. "It goes along much more easily if you relax."
I ignored his advice, trying with all my strength to run, but I couldn't get anywhere. There was a tightness around my arms and legs – a stiffness, like a locked-up joint. Elliot closed the remaining space between us and put his hands on either side of my head, thumbs to my temples. At first, I thought he was coming to tear my head off, but he didn't strain, he just kept his thumbs there. And then, all of a sudden, I felt an intense disorientation, like my equilibrium was completely thrown off. My eyes started twitching, and I got a quivering feeling in my head, along with a searing hot pain. Then, just as suddenly as the sensations began, they left, and I was weightless, thoughtless; floating in limbo, as if the whole experience had been a strange dream that was growing more blurry and distant with every passing second.
The memory ended, and I was back in the present, sitting in the car, as Grant and Edward shared concerned expressions.
"Did you see that?" I asked Edward, flashing back over portions of the memory again in my head.
"It's worse than I thought," he said gravely. "When did this happen?"
"Nineteen ninety-three," I replied.
"If he had thirty soldiers in ninety-three..."
"There's no telling how powerful he is by now," Grant added, finishing Edward's sentence. "Especially now that he has weapons. He'll overrun the Volturi with ease."
"And hunt us down one by one," Edward said. "Unless we band together."
"He's already started hunting," I said, referring to the kill list. "I don't know the first two names on that list, but Pearl Whitman is a close friend of Harriet's. If she's dead, then it must have just happened recently; Harriet would have told me about it."
"There were others that have already been killed," Edward said. "At least ten of them, and all in the last two weeks. I know several of the people on that list – I can try to get word to them, but there's no telling whether or not I'll be able to find them in time."
"Well one thing's clear," Grant said, taking the list in his hand. "We've no time to lose."
"Agreed," I replied. "The only question is who to contact first."
"I don't know about you two," Edward said, putting the car into gear, "but there are a few too many Cullens on that list for my taste. I'm going back to Forks."
"We'd better make some calls, tell whoever we can," I said, pulling out my pay-as-you-go phone and dialing Harriet's number. Warning my family wasn't as easy as taking a flight home. There was no home anymore. "I'll tell Wes and Harriet," I said to Grant, handing him another phone from Edward's satchel. "You call Harv and Lucy."
"And what about London?" he asked, a little flustered as he dialed the number without looking.
"That's all up to her. Let's just hope she checks in soon."