An Unbeating Heart Chapter 23: Setting up for the end game, a star trek: discovery fanfic

"I never did believe in vampires."

Lorca's head rose as his fingers stroke along the brass blade of Georgiou's sword, blue eyes turning to Landry though he couldn't help the chuckle as she nudged one of the bodies on the floor. "Neither did I. Unless I met one."

"Hm." Landry frowned, not too convinced.

It didn't surprise him there was doubt but he had his faith on the matter; Landry just had to see Michael herself to see the truth. She was what they, as a rebellion should become. To evolve to fight the bigger power as a better species. It seemed like destiny had played it's part for Michael to be the one, the first. It wasn't a coincidence the one woman that started it all was changed. She was meant to do more. Ties of moral life were severed away. Now she was here; with a lot more to be offered.

He just needed to convince her of her new path now she was here.

"Just you wait, Ellen." He twirled the sword in his hand. "She's quite magnificent."

"Dangerious, is the word I'd use." Her shoe prodded the body again. "She did this… what If she decides to do this to us?"

Lorca smiled though he said nothing. He knew Michael well enough. She was able to be reasoned with. She may not understand his methods but he'd do what he could; she'd join him. Sooner or later.

"She won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"You really think I'd bring her here without options?" He didn't specify out loud though from his vest, he pulled out a small communicator-like device, about the side of a regular communicator, though it was sleek in appearance of dark grey with a button and a dial on it instead of the flip case.

A necessary precaution. He wasn't a fool and he had learned a lot from Mudd's little weapon modifications to recreate that. Vampires would need to be controlled for their sake of their human population. He knew Michael knew nothing on this and he intended to keep it as such.

"What's that?"

"A thimble." He winked before stepping from the throne. "Thing is, with Vampires, they have an extraordinary sense of hearing." He added, more context for Landry. "Not just their speed or strength, but they're predators at the end of the day. Capable of hearing a human heart beat from over a mile away. This ship isn't that long."

Landry's eyes widened in understanding, nodding quickly.

"Sir." A new voice called to his attention. Eyes flickering from his second to the guard who came to a short stop. "We broke into the Emperor's quarters and medical bay. We lost a lot of our men in that."

"Michael?"

The guard shook his head. "Quarters were empty. We found a body and a lot of blood which identified to the Emperor but not her body. We were forced to pull back after breaking the medical bay. We can confirm the Emperor survived."

Lorca's lips pursed. Not what he had hoped for but… it'd leave him with the opportunity to kill the woman himself. If she was coming out of medical, then it was clear Michael had weakened her. Enough to work in his favour.

"Well then, locate her present position. She can't fight or hide forever."

"She still has most of the ships, including the escape pods." Landry pointed out. "She won't hesitate to blow this ship to hell if given the chance."

Lorca shook his head. "Not true. I was able to shut down the decks and locked out all other controls except for here." He twirled the sword and tapped one of the throne's many columns; the metal ringing out. "I'd say, once the rest of our crew have the main battalions down, those who serve her will serve us in a sure amount of time. Then we can worry about Georgiou."

"Hm, your little monster took care of most of them."

Lorca tittered at the use of the name. Either worlds, Landry never changed. It was almost amusing. "You're a little low in the food chain to insult her, Landry." He reminded softly though he sheathed the sword. "She may not be so kind to you like the last time."

A mild look of confusion passed through the woman's eyes but he turned his focus to the control panel and stepped up onto the throne. Now he had to appeal to Michael. The first step.

"Hello, Michael." He let his voice run through the entire palace's comm system. "I know you'd be able to hear this, even if I didn't put this on Ship-wide. But, as much as I'd hate to admit it, we can't yet track your location, aside from your communications hack off the ship 10 minutes ago." He added. "I don't intend to come to you but I know you'll come to me."

It took a moment, then the space ahead of flickered up as the holographic projector turned on; receiving the transmission back; the image of Michael's face appearing out to him though he couldn't help but be almost taken back by her appearance.

Her skin, while paling before was now flushed more with colour the new blood in her system, nno edge of dark circles under her eyes, the red now almost a brilliant in comparison to the crimson. Blood coated her face, mostly and thickly the lower part of her jaw and down her neck into her clothes. Her amour was tinged with an almost burned orange look to his eyes. Yet, despite the bloodied look, she looked otherwise good. Fed.

"What makes you think I will do that?" Her voice was indifferent, though her eyes narrowed. Her face once again was very passive though he could tell she was displeased.

"I'm sorry I had you do what you did but it was necessary." Nodding to her bloodied appearance. "But, Burnham. You belong here now."

"With you?" Her eyebrow rose. "I do not see it."

"I know you're finding it hard to understand but everything I did, I did to get home. Just like what you did before. Before your own transformation."

Michael didn't move. Her stare solid enough he could mistake the screen to be frozen if it wasn't for the blinking light behind her head.

"The Federation is destined to fall. It doesn't have the will or the gall to fight the right battles, they put up their childish rules and enforce it into species under the belief of equality and betterment." He shook his head. "You did what you had to do that day, Michael. Even at the cost; you did what you had to do to make a difference."

"I started a War. Not the difference I had in mind." Michael quipped.

Lorca chuckled. "But, you still did it. Now, here you are. The strongest one of all. But they'll hinder you. Your nature as a vampire is what you are… you've never been able to experience what you are without rules or regulations. Here, we can give you what you want, whoever you want… Plenty of Terrans and aliens to sate that never dying thirst. You'll be able to… forge yourself a new life. A better one."

Michael didn't move though her lips pursed. "Are you asking me to turn you?"

Lorca didn't answer though she knew his silence was just as profound. He had a future here. But his moral life was had to evolve for a new more durable one, like hers. It didn't matter that she didn't imprint on him, it would have been easier if she had but she could develop feelings towards him soon enough. Even if it wasn't the romantic ones. That, for now was enough. Enough to get him transformed.

"What I'm asking for is you. Here. By my side. You'll have a future here and I've seen what it'll become. Ever since I first met you on the Discovery. Think about it." With that, he closed both their lines. He had to wait, let her play her cards.

"She still creeps me out." Landry dryly remarked.

Despite being dimmed, the pain only got worse as it spread. Philippa though hid this as she and her team carried on through her ship. It was now stabbing down her left side; spreading down her left bicep and was edging closer towards her elbow and had seeped down passed her collar bone towards her heart and each breath flared a new sense pain as her injected lungs inflated.

The Emperor had tested the burning places with her finger tips on the time that had passed, though she could feel the infected skin had cooled, it wasn't solid like Michael's had been. She saw that as a plus though her attention between the pain and her hunting of Lorca's men was getting harder to divide. The ever present urge to sit or lie down was fought at every turn; that would lead her to not get up and she had no intention for that.

"Clear." The voiced of her guards rang through the corridor as they swept through the science lab. She had to establish control.

The Emperor swanned to a nearby console though kept her grip on her rifle as she tapped along the screen. She was unable to help the wash of annoyance as the computer rejected her codes.

Lorca.

Bastard.

"This one is working Emperor."

Immediately, her attention swam to one of her guards, also at a station but seemed to be otherwise further in access. She narrowed her eyes. Lorca obviously planned this against her, he must use her proximity to fully lock her out of the system, her eyes flickered to her bracelet then to the console.

"Reroute power from the thrown room's life support and that entire deck." It would take them a while to notice, but hopefully enough time for her.

"Working," His fingers tapped along the screen though the emperor watched him work. "I can't seal of the decks, Emperor. If you want to cut off life support, it had to be ship wide."

"How long until we run out of air?"

The Guard paused, thinking this over. "About 7 hours until the carbon dioxide becomes lethal with the amount of people and equipment the we use. Longer the more die."

"Do it. Let's get to deck 34." She knew there'd be emergency EV suits. Plenty enough time and oxygen. Waiting Lorca out unless they got ahead of him was the best course of action. Although Philippa did feel a welt of concern. 7 hours wasn't a short amount of time. Her fighting ability was hindered by the infection. What state would she be in that amount of time?

Her communicator buzzed, drawing her attention.

"Out." Her eyes followed each of her guards as they left, waited until she was alone until she flipped it open.

"Emperor."

"Dr Culber. You found a cure?" Her demand stern but his silence between an immediate answer inflated a welt of annoyance.

"No. Emperor." His voice turning grave, "I've been monitoring your vitals since you've left but the spread is getting closer to your heart and your spinal cord."

Her eyes narrowed. "Go on."

Culber sighed heavily. "Once it hits your heart, the spread will go throughout your cardiovascular system very quickly."

"And?"

"When it hits your spinal cord, the infection will cause you to go into an unresponsive state, like locked-in syndrome. From what I can see, you're about 23 minutes away from that. I assume it'll break once the infection is fully spread."

The emperor's eyes narrowed into slits. Her hand coming to her throat, finger tips gently touching over the cooler, infected flesh. "Why that response?"

Culber's voice remained solid and professional in his answer, matter-of-fact even. "The venom, from my assessments, it's… breaking down the biological flesh and reconstituting it into a crystalline matter. You're still in the early stages of it but the left clavicle, humerus joint, scapular, and outer edges of your cervical vertebra are showing signs of reconstitution into the new matter. Tendons and muscles will follow once the bones have transformed and start the breakdown of your internal organs an—"

"Yes, yes. I see a pattern." No wonder it was hurting. But if Culber was right, she was on a clock. She couldn't wait Lorca out, but she also couldn't run head in without knowing the full extend. Moving her arm, though she could, it did hurt a lot more. Clearly this venom was designed to not kill them in the process given what it was doing but… if that was happening now, getting a cure was one thing but reversing the damage… "There is no cure."