Vampire University

Chapter 6

Rick had gotten Kate and Alexis out and hopefully in a safe location since he had faith in his daughter. What he needed now was a way to get himself out and to a safe location. So he needed his own plan. He presently had bits and pieces of it outlined in his head. He just didn't have anything physical yet.

He also needed to find the spies and either expose them so that they were executed or they resist being captured and he could kill them. However, in all of this was the one major question. How the hell had they gained entrance to the University in the first place?

Plus he needed to show that he was at least attempting to make an effort at finding Kate and his wayward daughter. To do that just so happened to coincide with part of his escape plan.

So on that note he had checked out a car and gotten a driver. As per requirements the driver stayed with the car at all times. That in turn allowed Rick to go anywhere he wanted to go.

Today was a two hour trip to Richmond, Virginia. His first idea was to purchase the fastest car he could lay his hands on. Then on second thought he might be trying to run for it during winter which was going to show up in a few months, so maybe a 4x4 would be better. That in turn left him with just what to purchase. Worse, he couldn't use any of the computers at the University or he would leave a trail for someone to follow.

Rick had a taxi take him to his first dealership of choice. It took him close to 3 hours to select and purchase what he thought would work for what he wanted to do. He chose a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that with all the features it had came in at $62,105, not including various taxes and registration.

He had this already planned out as to where to send the tags. It was part of his contact with his daughter, a P.O. Box here in town.

So with solid black save for the leather seats, heated leather seats no less, he drove it to a parking garage and bought a space for 3 months. He parked it and got a taxi to take him back to his car and back home again.

\0/ V-V \0/

One week later he was back out. Only this time he didn't go into a city. However, he was off property and besides the driver, he wasn't alone.

"What are we looking for?" Lanie asked.

"Just walk with me." Rick started walking and wasn't really looking for anything. "I have a task for you, Lanie. Try not to ask too many questions and just do it for me."

"All right." Lanie was curious now. She was all set to ask if this had anything to do with Kate. But since he said to not ask too many questions, she just walked.

"I want you to look through the records. Go back 30 years or more, select everyone that wasn't born at this University, and make a list. For everyone you find I want names, when they arrived, and if possible, who sponsored them."

"You want to see if Kate had help." Lanie liked this plan. "You're not really thinking what I think you are, are you?"

"I don't know, Lanie. It depends on what you're thinking. If you're thinking defected to another University, I can honestly say I'm keeping my mind open to pretty much everything. Do you think you can do this? Needless to say don't talk to anyone and don't let anyone see what you're doing."

"Holy Crap! You think one of us in Security… Holy Crap!" Lanie thought she just had her mind blown. "This may take some time. There are a lot of people here." And she didn't mean just students and staff. The driver that drove them out here. The people that tended the grounds. All of the maintenance people. And then there were the people that tended to the humans in the basement.

"So let it take time. Just account for everyone. You up for this?" He had already told Lanie a lot and was putting maybe too much trust in her.

"I'm your girl," Lanie assured him.

"Good. Just keep walking. We'll go back to the car eventually."

Lanie's eyes were huge. "You didn't want anyone in Security to see or hear this. Holy Crap!" She was into something now even if she wasn't sure just what.

\0/ V-V \0/

It had been a week out of their 30 days and Kate came out of her bedroom wearing nothing more than a towel. She was thirsty and needed a drink. She saw Alexis sitting in that love seat with that laptop computer that hated her. She was sure it had it in for her. She just couldn't get it to show her the pictures of the boat.

"What are you up to?" Kate took out the last bag she had, squeezed some out into a glass, put the glass into the microwave and set a time, and pressed START.

"I'm trying to tell Dad that we're safe." Alexis kept working.

"Are you sure that's safe? Not that I'm questioning your father but isn't pretty much anyone in Security going to see what you send?" Meaning leading them right here?

"Nope. It's complex so I'll try and make it simple for you." Alexis waited as Kate with her glass sat down next to her and waited for her to explain.

"Dad has access to an email address that is, well, off-site. Think of it this way. I'm going to send a message to someone in the UK. He in turn sends it to his friend in Russia. She in turn sends it to her friend in India. On to South Africa, South America, Canada, and finally to Dad.

"If they want to try and trace it they have to go talk to each and everyone one of these people who after I send this message will no longer exist. Got it?"

Kate shook her head. "No, but I trust you. So what are you telling him?"

"Just that we're safe, you're running out of blood, we have a place to stay and an escape route, and that we've used up almost half of our money so far to do this. Anything you want to tell him?" Alexis waited.

That had Kate thinking. "Yes, tell him that I want him to kiss me first thing when he sees me." Kate sipped her blood and grinned a little when Alexis turned to stare at her.

Alexis opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. "Okay. This should be good." Alexis proceeded to type since she had it all set up and paid for. "Anything else before I press ENTER? I'll close my eyes and let you type."

"You mean like tie me to the bed and let him have his way with me?" Kate's grin got a little bigger as she sipped her blood.

Alexis proceeded to add that and pressed ENTER. "OH, BOY! Now I wish I was there to see Dad's face when he reads this."

"You didn't actually say all that, did you?" Kate had been joking. Mostly. Maybe part wishing but mostly teasing. Mostly maybe.

Alexis's eyebrows almost reached her hairline. "You said it, Kate, so I sent it."

"Oh, good lord." Kate tried to hide her face. "What's he going to think of me now after he reads that?" Maybe they should find her and kill her.

"What am I going to do with you?" Alexis found it and opened it for her. "Besides ask if he had fun tying you to the bed and having his way with you? IF I can get up the nerve to ask him. Here! Just press this arrow on the right, right here with this cursor, and it will change the picture for you." She set the computer on the little coffee table.

"I'm going to go take a nice long hot shower while we still have unlimited hot water. It's something we won't have on the boat. Maybe it will burn the picture I now have of you tied naked to the bed. Thank you very little." Alexis went to her bedroom so she could strip and get into the shower.

Kate grinned and got up to put her glass in the sink, and then headed to her room to get dressed. The second she saw her bed she could suddenly see herself tied to the bed while Castle did amazing things to her body. "I'm in so much trouble." If they got caught doing that they might both be dead.

\0/ V-V \0/

Alexis was finding that the automatic part of the gear change on the bike didn't really do what she wanted it to do at some of the traffic lights in town. It just didn't feel quite right. It had worked great on the Interstate getting here, just not all the time in town. That was until she worked out that she had a foot pedal and paddles within fingertip reach. She could manually change gears if she wanted to. So at some of the lights she had learned to use her foot usually, her left one, to shift down and allow the bike to take over again.

She was learning to get around better and starting to not need her navigation system.

Today was swimming lesson day. Your pool, our trainer, experienced, certified and insured. One hour per lesson or longer. For an adult it was $65 an hour and since Kate needed to not be petrified of the water, she needed these lessons. Naturally Alexis went with her. After all it was her job to protect her.

Within 10-12 lessons, beginner adult swimmers are often ready to move on to intermediate and advanced swimming skills. Some swim skills learned at the beginner stage include getting comfortable in the water, breathing and buoyancy techniques, floating, gliding, kicking other skills to prepare you to learn full swim strokes.

Intermediate

Intermediate private swimming lessons for adults involve learning and practicing front and back strokes and treading water. Swim instructors will teach you the proper techniques so you can develop long lasting swimming abilities.

Today was Kate's third lesson at the beginner level. The instructor hadn't said a word about why Kate couldn't swim. She just got to work and they were done an hour later.

Now Alexis was putting more sunscreen on her back followed by letting Kate do her back and they laid out next to the pool. They were soon on their stomachs with their tops unhooked to prevent tan lines.

"Are they working? Are you learning anything?" Alexis asked and watched her turn her head so she could look at her.

"I think so. I just try to think of it as taking a shower and letting water hit me in the face. I don't drown in the shower so I shouldn't drown out here. Besides I've got you." Kate grinned at her.

"How are you doing? You look like you're trying too hard to get comfortable." Kate could see it in how she walked and in her face.

"I'm naked," Alexis whispered.

Kate rolled her eyes. "You've got a swimsuit." She was clearly not naked. Now if she sat up before she secured her top she would be topless but not naked.

"Not that kind of naked. I haven't got a single weapon on me. And it's very uncomfortable." Now she had to listen to Kate laugh. "It's not funny."

"Call it payback for telling Castle that I wanted him to tie me to the bed," Kate countered.

"You brought it up," Alexis said. "You really like Dad, don't you?"

"Nothing's going to happen. The Queen won't allow it and I'm a Royal and he's not." Kate sighed. "But yes, I do like him. I just wish I knew what I know now back then. Not that it would have helped."

"Never say never, Mom. You don't know Dad. He's sneaky." Alexis closed her eyes and tried to just relax and soak up some sun. And forget that she was doing this naked.

\0/ V-V \0/

Rick hadn't heard from Lanie so assumed that she was still hard at work and yes, he knew assuming anything was bad. But he really couldn't look over her shoulder 24 hours a day. Otherwise he would have just done it himself.

Today, however, was part two of his get out of Dodge plan. So he had a car with a driver and this time he had his laptop with him. It was password protected and encrypted so it was as safe as it was ever going to get.

He didn't need to go all the way into Richmond for this. First he stopped at this little shop so he could eat breakfast and get some coffee. The benefit of this place was the free WiFi.

With breakfast done and set aside, he opened up his laptop, connected to the WiFi, and took a quick look to see if his daughter had sent him anything. He couldn't help but smile when he found one. After making sure it didn't have a virus he opened it.

Hi, Dad, we're both safe and sound. Just so you know this is routed through several different VPNs so it should be nearly impossible to trace. Besides after I use them I'm closing them down.

We have a place in mind to stay for as along as necessary. Paid for it in cash so now we're both a lot poorer. We're little by little planning our escape route if we need it. That motorcycle is something else. Nice choice, Dad!

It's weird out here. I know what you told me and taught me but this is just weird. Plus I feel naked half the time. I miss you!

Would you believe that Kate wants me to start calling her Mom? I'm even starting to enjoy that part, though I tease her constantly. She typically gives as good as gets.

I'll keep this short; trash it after you read it and then empty the trash.

Kate says she wants you to kiss her the second you see her. She's secretly had a crush on you for almost as long as you've had a crush on her. Don't know what either of you can do about that.

Oh, Kate says that she wants you to tie her to the bed and do terrible things to her body.

Bye, Dad.

"SHE WANTS ME TO DO WHAT!?"Rick looked around after yelling that out. "Sorry, sorry," he said apologetically and reread the message. He didn't see any secret message embedded into the message so he knew it really was Alexis so he reread it over and over again till he had it memorized forever.

"She really wants me to do that?" Now Rick was starting to daydream about what a naked Kate tied to the bed and waiting for him to do whatever he wanted to her body looked like. While some of what she wore gave him a clue as to what her breasts looked like. It was just he was forever stuck on just how long and lovely her legs were.

"I'm in so much trouble." He was almost convinced that she was going to be the death of him.

He trashed the message and then trashed the trash and got to work on part two of his escape plan. This was the only real place he could do some research as to where to go and eventually stay. He would figure out how to get there later.

\0/ V-V \0/

It was one week later or two weeks into Kate's and Alexis's 30 days.

Rick and Lanie, who had a laptop with her, were off property again. She didn't need WiFi or anything since it was all on her laptop. So they were in a slightly different location this time in case anyone questioned the driver about where they always went. Since he stayed with the car he couldn't tell them much else.

"What have you learned?"

"A lot and now I'm scared." Lanie had found a lot more than she had bargained for.

"Show me." She might be scared but he certainly wasn't. Concerned yes, scared no.

Lanie looked very serious. "I've found four that I don't like. First up is Javier Esposito. He works the second shift in the Security Tower." However, Castle said nothing and actually looked around a little.

"Next is Kevin Ryan. He works the third shift in the Security Tower." In both cases she had pictures of each of them to show him so he knew who to look for.

"Then there's Josh Davidson. He works with the humans in the basement," Lanie said. "Specifically the humans meant for the Royals to feed from. He feeds them and cares for them and makes sure they're available to any Royal that needs them with one exception."

"Let me guess, the Queen." He knew that due to her status she was treated differently and fed from different humans that were taken care of by her own staff.

"Finally and last thankfully, is Will Sorenson. He's one of the professors. He would have had easy access to the library and not be questioned why he was there." Lanie hated all four of them.

This had gone from a simple research project to something really scary and she hadn't even gotten to the good part, or really bad part depending on Rick's point of view.

"Now for the really bad news because there is no good news. All four of these were sponsored by the Queen herself." If Lanie thought he could go white now was the time.

Except he said and did nothing. "Please tell me this isn't what I think it is?" Lanie wasn't stupid but the look he gave her said it was. "Just when I was starting to like you again after almost getting struck by a damn lightning bolt on the roof."

Lanie heard him chuckle which only made her feel a tiny bit better. "Does Alexis know any of this?"

"I didn't even know any of this, so neither do they. Forget you saw any of this, Lanie. Leave it all to me. You don't have to be involved any further." Rick gave her an out and thought maybe she should take it.

"Have you lost your mind?" Lanie bristled. "And let another University take down my home? I live here, you know. I was born here and I'll die here. I would rather it was a lot later but you've got me and you're keeping me, like it or not."

Rick was thinking talking her out of this was going to be impossible and besides he could use the help. He was about to take on the Queen of the University and he couldn't do that alone.

"Fine, I'll add you to my escape plan if things go horribly wrong." His plan would allow for him to add Lanie so she wasn't that big of a problem.

"Good! Now what do you want me to do first?" They had four she could help him with. The Queen was way out of her league.

"Davidson. How did he get selected to work on just the Royals humans and not the Queens? Find out all you can about him. Leave the two in Security to me. I'll think of something for Sorenson.

"And stay away from the Queen." Rick emphasized his order by forcefully shaking his finger at her over that.

"Of that you can be assured. I'll do what I can. I only wish Alexis was here." Lanie was no fool, she knew Alexis was better than she was.

"You're doing great, Lanie. Just don't get caught." Rick suffered one of her killer glares for saying something so stupid.