Dark Shadows: Revenge of the Vampires
Chapter 15
1
Julia Hoffman could feel her blood leaving her body via Tristan. She was becoming faint when he finally stopped. What the vampire didn't know was Julia also developed a serum that would help an individual resist the loss of will that came with being bitten by one of the living dead.
Knowing she could use this against him, she would pretend that she had lost her will and was willing to serve him. Julia had to be careful as Tristan was not naive or stupid. If she didn't watch her every step, he would figure out that she was not under his thrall. The problem as Julia saw it was she had no idea how long the serum would last. Fortunately, she had taken some of the serum just before Ramon abducted her from the Old House.
She intended to tell Barnabas about it, but had not been given the chance. She was abducted before she could tell him. Julia intended to have Barnabas bite her and remove some of her blood to find out if the serum worked. If only she had enough of it to spread through the servants of all of the vampires in Tristan's castle.
"Now, Dr Hoffman, who is your master, Barnabas Collins or me?" Tristan asked, knowing very well what she would say.
"You are my master."
"And who is Barnabas Collins to you?" he demanded.
"Nobody. He means nothing to me."
"That's right. I am your master from now on. So, let us have a chat. Would you like that?"
"Very much," Julia lied.
"Good. That's the attitude that will keep you alive. Now, Barnabas Collins has traveled back in time, hasn't he?"
Julia would have to admit he had. Otherwise, Tristan would suspect she was not under his thrall. "Yes, he has."
"And where did he go?"
"As you stated, he went back to the time he originally lived."
"Very good. Let's discuss how he did it," Tristan said.
"All right, but I am afraid I will not be much help, Master."
The vampire didn't like what he just heard. Somehow, he just couldn't believe Hoffman didn't know how Collins did it. She was with him constantly. She had to know. If the two were as close as he believe they were, he wouldn't have kept something that important from her. "What do you mean by that? You must know how he did it."
Julia shook her head. "Barnabas never told me. He was afraid I would follow him and he wanted to protect me."
Her explanation actually sounded logical. If Collins loved the woman, he could very well keep the information from her. Still, he believed she must have some idea how he did it. "Doctor, what exactly do you know about time travel?"
"I know that it is possible. I just don't know how he did it."
"You must know how he discovered it," Tristan said impatiently.
"Yes, he found a time portal."
He was finally getting somewhere. "A time portal. This time portal is in Collinwood in America, isn't it?"
"I believe so, but I don't know for sure. Barnabas refused to share that information with me."
She couldn't possibly be able to resist him. With his venom inside her, she was under his thrall. She would do whatever he told her to do. Women were far more susceptible to male vampires than men were, just as men were more susceptible to female vampires. Tristan studied her for any sign she wasn't under his thrall. She didn't give him any indication she wasn't. Yet, it bothered him that she had spent several years with a vampire. She must have learned quite a bit about them. "Doctor, you have been with Barnabas Collins for quite some time, isn't that right?"
"Yes, of course," Julia answered, wondering what he was getting at.
"And you have been searching for a way to cure Collins of his vampirism, correct?"
"Yes, that's correct," she answered.
"Have you found that cure?"
"Not yet, but I have made some progress."
"What causes vampirism? Tristan asked.
"It is a simple blood disorder. Well, not exactly simple, but it is a blood disorder." Julia believed she wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know.
"Collins has been able to walk in the daylight because of your research, isn't that right?"
"Yes, but for very short periods of time. Only a few minutes at the most." That wasn't quite true, but Julia wasn't about to tell him that it had lasted for several hours. The less she could get away with telling him, the better.
"In other words, he couldn't use whatever you have created to come here during the day and stake vampires?"
She chuckled. "Absolutely not. He would be burned up by the sun before he ever left Dracula's castle. Besides, he lost his vampiric powers for the time he was able to walk in the daylight." Another lie told, as she knew he hadn't lost his powers. That was an indication the serum was not perfected yet. The more Julia thought about it, Barnabas could attack the castle if she only could inject him with the serum. She knew the exact dosage and how long it would allow him to withstand the sun. Unfortunately, at the present time, there wasn't any way she could escape Tristan's castle, let alone help Barnabas. All she could do was hope Barnabas and Dracula could find a way to rescue her before Tristan decided she was of no further use to him.
Tristan was relieved. He worried about Collins's ability to walk in the daylight. If Collins was impervious to the sun, he could assemble the servants of the vampires loyal to Dracula and attack his castle. It gave him much satisfaction Collins would not be able to use that tactic against him. As it was, he worried his army would be out numbered by those who were either scared of Dracula or loyal to him. He believed he had the superior fighting force. Dracula and Collins were soft. They were becoming humanized. That would be their undoing.
"Who besides Collins knows where the time portal is?"
"No one that I know of. Oh wait, Dracula would know where it is. He traveled back to 1897 to help Barnabas." She wasn't about to tell him about Chief Ironside, Officer Whitfield, and Professor Stokes who traveled back with Barnabas. It would only put all of them in danger. Tristan could decide to abduct one of them in an attempt to force them to tell him where to find the time portal.
"I thought Collins traveled back with a party of four?"
"If he did, he failed to tell me about them. As far as I know, only Barnabas and Dracula traveled back in time." Again, Julia lied to keep Tristan from learning about time travel. She had a feeling he wanted to attempt to travel back before Dracula became a vampire and kill him. The same would apply to Barnabas.
Tristan didn't understand it. He was certain Collins would have told her how he traveled through time. Something was drastically wrong. It didn't add up. Was it possible for Julia Hoffman to resist his thrall? He didn't see how she could. He knew of those in the past who served vampires but were also resistant. Those cases were always individuals bitten by vampires of the same sex. Never had he ever heard of anyone able to resist the thrall of a vampire of the opposite sex. Especially when it was a woman bitten by a male vampire. To his knowledge, it had never happened.
"Are you absolutely positive Collins never told you how he traveled through time?"
Julia gave him the same answer she had been giving him since the conversation began. "I am positive, Master. If he had told me, I would certainly tell you all about it."
Disappointed, he backed off. If he couldn't find out from Hoffman how Collins did it, he didn't see how he could ever find out. He certainly couldn't ask Collins or Dracula. Then he remembered something he heard a few months back. He decided to ask her about it. "Doctor, it is my understanding when Collins travel to 1897, he ran into Count Petofi, is that right?"
If Julia didn't already know Petofi had been taken prisoner by Johnny Romano, the question would have worried her. "Yes, he did."
"Are the rumors true that Petofi escaped into the future, our future? He arrived in Collinsport if what I have heard is true."
Julia nodded. There wasn't any sense in denying it. If he checked further, Tristan would find out it was indeed true. "Yes, that is correct."
"Than, we should be able to find out from him where the time portal is."
"No, I don't think so," Julia said. She restrained her voice to keep him from hearing the satisfaction she felt that he wouldn't be able to find out where the time portal was from Petofi.
"And why is that, Doctor?" he said, frustrated.
"Because, Johnny Romano, head of the gypsy tribe forced him back to his own time to punish him for stealing the powerful hand."
Once again his hope was deflated. Then he realized there was someone else who knew where the time portal was located. "I thought you said no one else knew where the portal was. Why didn't you mentioned Johnny Romano?"
"Because he is not in our timeline. He went back to 1897, taking Petofi with him. He couldn't possibly help us with the problem."
He noticed she used the word we. Was that an indication that she was definitely under his thrall? He still didn't have the confidence that she was. "Did anyone come forward in time who remained in our time?"
Julia knew there was, but she wasn't about to tell Tristan who. Quentin Collins came forward in time and remained. He moved to San Francisco with Ironside's policewoman, Eve Whitfield. He changed his name to Sam Dwyer. "Not that I know of," she told him without hesitation.
"You're sure of that?" he asked.
"Of course, I am, at least as far as my own knowledge is concerned," Julia said.
Tristan realized he was going about this all wrong. There were at least two people who knew about the time portal that she wasn't telling him about. One was a relative of the Collins family who came forward in time. If what he heard was true, he did not return to his own time. He believed his name was Quentin Collins. The other was a member of the present day Collins family. He was told the boy's name was David. So, there were two people in this timeline who knew where the time portal was. He didn't need Julia Hoffman to tell him where it was. He could travel to Collinsport and find Quentin or David. The boy would be the better of the two. He would provide far less resistance than the adult Collins. But first he needed to confirm if the two of them knew where the time portal was located.
"Doctor, why did Collins and Dracula go back to 1897 in the first place?" This would be the test to tell if Julia Hoffman was actually under his thrall. If she didn't answer him truthfully, he would know. If she didn't state the reason was to retrieve David Collins, than it would be obvious she had been bitten by Collins and was under his thrall. No human could be under the thrall of two vampires at the same time. Collins's venom would destroy Tristan's the moment it entered her system.
Julia hadn't anticipated the question. She supposed she should have. She had to come up with an explanation Tristan would find plausible. "Johnny Romano came through the time portal and asked for Barnabas's help to find Petofi. Barnabas then enlisted Dracula's help."
So, she was not under his thrall after all. She just lied to him. He knew from what Nicholas Blair told him that the ghost of Quentin Collins tricked David Collins into going back to his time, in order to force Barnabas to go back and find him. He assumed the ghost wanted his live self to return to the present so he could live again. It was the only explanation he could think of that made sense. Tristan was unaware Quentin's ghost was promised by Barnabas that he would stop him from accidentally killing Jenny Collins, thereby causing the gypsy sister, Magna from cursing him to becoming a werewolf.
Tristan grabbed Julia by the throat. "Collins has bitten you. You are under his thrall, not mine. You have been lying to me all along!"
Julia could barely breathe. The vampire was choking her. "I . . . can't breathe."
"If I didn't need you, I'd kill you right now for lying. David Collins! He knows where the time portal is. He is the reason Barnabas went back in time, isn't he?"
"No . . . I told . . . you, it was . . . to help Romano," Julia barely croaked out.
"You lie!" Tristan threw her up against the wall. Julia hit it with such force, she was knocked unconscious. He looked at the crumpled body of Dr Hoffman, wishing he could kill her right now. He stormed out of her cell.
As Tristan passed the guards, he shouted, "Don't let that mortal out of your sight. If she escapes, you will forfeit your lives."
He didn't like what he was going to do, yet he felt he had no choice. He stopped a mortal in the corridor. "Find Ramon and have him report to my chambers immediately. The human practically ran from Tristan, knowing with the anger he was displaying, staying anywhere near him could mean his death if the vampire lost control.
Tristan headed for his chambers. He had the answer to time travel all along and didn't realize it. He didn't need Julia Hoffman to tell him where the time portal was. He could go to America and find the boy. The lad would not be able to resist him. He would tell him where the portal was. Tristan now had the means to go back in time and destroy both Barnabas and Dracula!
2
Dr Gerard Mosley could barely stay awake. He was fascinated by Julia Hoffman's research. It was unbelievable they both were conducting the exact same experiments. The only thing he discovered was she had not yet figured out how to produce the serum in large quantities. From what he could see, if she did, it would lose its effect and a vampire would not be able to stay in the sunlight for more than an hour. That, of course, would be next to useless if you were trying to allow a vampire to live a normal mortal life. She would have to make small batches of her serum and often to allow Barnabas to live in the sunlight. From reading her notes Mosley could tell she had perfected a way for him to stay in the sunlight for several hours. With his own research, his vampire could only stay out in the sunlight for four hours compared to about eight to ten hours with Julia's.
Mosley studied her formula. It wasn't that much different from his. Combining both formulas would mean a vampire could stay in the daylight for much longer, and large batches of the serum could be manufactured. He needed one ingredient Julia had in her formula that was not in his, and she needed one of his that she didn't have in hers. Together, they both would be that much closer to finding a cure for vampirism.
The door to Julia's lab opened and Professor Stokes came in. "I don't mean to disturb you, Doctor, but I am curious as to what you have discovered so far. I apologize, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me. How is it going?"
Mosley grinned. "Julia and I are on the same wavelength, Professor. I believe together we can come up with a cure much faster than working separately."
That was not exactly what the professor meant. He was more concerned as to whether the serum could be produced and taken to Romania, in order to enable Barnabas to attack Tristan's castle. He asked the doctor just that question.
Mosley grinned again. "I can do better than that. You see, Julia has produced a serum that last longer than mine does. In other words her vampire can withstand sunlight longer than mine can."
"That's good news. Can you produce it to use on Barnabas?" Professor Stokes inquired.
"Yes, Doctor, can you?" Barnabas said as he entered the lab.
"Oh, Mr Collins, you are up. I didn't realize it was dusk," Mosely said.
"I just got up," Barnabas said. "What is the answer to the professor's question?"
"The answer is yes. I can produce the serum."
The vampire was relieved to hear it. "Then by all means, please produce enough so we may put our plan into action." Barnabas took steps to close the distance between him and the doctor.
"Not just yet, Mr Collins. I need one ingredient that Julia doesn't have in her serum."
"And why is that important? I need to get back to Transylvania. Every minute I am away, Julia's life is in danger."
"The reason is Julia's formula lacks an ingredient that allows mass production of the serum. Mine lacked an ingredient that prolonged the time your kind can spend in the sunlight."
Both Barnabas and the professor knew the impact of the statement. "Are you saying you will be able to produce enough for the entire army of vampires Dracula could get together?"
"That is exactly what he is saying," said an elated Professor Stokes.
"That would mean, we would only have to deal with the mortals. We would be able to storm the castle and stake all of Tristan's vampires," Barnabas said. "There would be minimal bloodshed."
"Once the human servants realized there were dozens of vampires in the daylight with their powers in tack, they would not resist," the professor offered.
"Both of you are correct," Mosley confirmed.
"What is this ingredient you need?" Barnabas asked.
"I am afraid it is not that easy to get. It is only found in a government lab."
"That would be next to impossible for us," the professor said, "but not for Barnabas."
"That's correct." The doctor walked over to Julia's desk and picked up a pad of paper. He wrote down the ingredient. "The ingredient is called Posnotis. Now, I know that means nothing to either of you. It is because it is used in classified experiments on the use of prolonging the effects of a bomb. In other words if people come near the site, they will be affected the same as if they had been bombed.
"Blown to bits?" the professor asked.
"Not exactly, since there is actually no bomb. The human body just disintegrates."
"If this is classified, how did you know about it?" Barnabas asked.
"Because I am the one that created it for the United States Army," Mosley said.
"I am surprised they didn't swear you to secrecy," the professor said.
"Actually, they did. In fact, I signed a non-disclosure agreement. Just telling you about it would get me life in prison," Mosley revealed.
Barnabas was touched. The man was risking his very freedom to help him. "Can you create, what did you call it?"
"Posnotis," Mosely answered. "The answer to your question, Mr Collins, is no, I cannot. We will have to steal it from a government lab."
"Just how are we going to do that?" the professor said.
"Exactly as you already stated, Elliott. Mr Collins is going to have to go there and remove it. The closest government lab is in Boston. No one knows it is there. It is several miles underground. It is where they work on chemical weapons, what you would call weapons of mass destruction."
"They actually do that?" Barnabas said. "They make chemical weapons?"
Mosley was surprised at the vampire's naive view of the world. He supposed that he never even heard of such things since he never left Collinsport. Even when he traveled through time, he still traveled to his homeland. "Not officially. The US government would never admit to doing it. Since the rest of powerful nations develop chemical weapons, the Americans must keep up. It is always classified since the American people would be appalled if they knew what the government was up to."
"Exactly how difficult is it going to be for me to obtain this chemical?" Barnabas asked.
"You will have to penetrate the lab, which I have already stated is several miles underground. It is below a multi-floor parking garage. Mosley once again used Julia's pad of paper and pen to write down the address. You must be very careful, Mr Collins. I don't have to tell you what the government might do if they discovered there were actually vampires walking the streets at night."
Professor Stokes elaborated on Mosley's warning. "They would find a way to control you, Barnabas. You would become a lab rat, rather than just the subject of Julia's experiments."
"I understand. I shall be careful. Do you have a map of the facility?" Barnabas asked.
"No, but I have worked there for extended periods of time. They keep the Posnotis is located on the 24th level. At least that is where it was when I worked on it. They guard it very closely, since they don't want the formula to escape the lab. It could kill people without even placing it inside a bomb. You must be very careful. The lab will be on your right as soon as you exit the elevator. You will have to decide on your own exactly how you are going to reach the 24th level."
As a member of the living dead, Barnabas knew exactly how he was going to get inside the lab. Being a vampire was a miserable existence, but it did have some advantages. Getting inside the lab would be easy. It was figuring out how to get the Posnotis out of the facility, since he would not be able to do it in human form.
"Once I am in the lab, where do I find the Posnotis?" the vampire asked.
There will be a large containment chamber in the far left corner. It has glass doors. They are made of glass so those working on chemicals are able to see them and be sure nothing is amiss with them before they remove them. The Posnotis will not be the only chemical in containment. You must be very careful you do not disturb the other chemicals. All of them are extremely dangerous."
"I'll be careful," Barnabas said. "How much of the Posnotis do I need to remove?"
"You will find a holder which will contain twenty vials of the chemical. I will need at least that many if I am to mix enough of the serum to use on an army of vampires."
"Then you shall have it," Barnabas said, and disappeared in front of them.
3
Once outside of the Old House, Barnabas reverted to bat form and flew at top speed toward Boston. Vampires could fly every bit as fast as a bat that they could move in human form. He wasted no time. His Julia was in mortal danger. Barnabas would not fail her. With determination, he flew as hard and fast as he could. It took longer than he would have liked, but there wasn't any mode of transportation available to humans, with the exception of air flight that would allow him to arrive faster to Boston.
After what seemed an eternity to the vampire, he arrived in Boston. Fortunately, Barnabas knew the city quite well. He ventured there to feed when the necessity arose. Most of the time Julia provided him with blood from Wyncliff. It was not a problem to accept it, but Barnabas had not survived as a vampire without being cautious. Afraid Julia would be discovered removing the blood or doctoring the records, Barnabas would fly to Boston and feed from one of the ladies of the evening. Always careful never to remove too much blood, the ladies were never harmed. They simply woke up with no memory of what had happened to them. Barnabas had long since learned to control the blood lust. Gone where the days when he would drain every last bit of blood from his victims. He left them unharmed, minus a small amount of blood. The vampire had no desire to kill. It was only done when he had no other choice.
When Barnabas arrived at the parking garage, he flew down and entered the street level. Only one attendant was on duty. He supposed there were others at entrances on all sides of the parking garage. Changing to mist form, he hugged the ground and passed by the attendant unnoticed. He wished he had demanded Dr Mosley be more specific as to where the entrance was. Back in his human form, Barnabas looked around. He simply had no idea where to look.
He heard a man approach him from behind. "Hey, mister, what are you doing in this section? It is parking for employees only."
That told the vampire he was definitely in the right section of the parking garage. Of course, the government would keep out everyone but those working on classified experiments. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was restricted." He smiled at the man.
"How did you get pass the guard at the entrance?"
"Guard? I thought he was a simple attendant. Why would a parking garage for employees need a guard?"
"It doesn't concern you, buddy. I am going to have to take you into custody until we find out who you are, and what you are doing here."
Not about to allow the man to detain him any further, he looked into the man's eyes. They had the desired effect. "You did not see me, nor will you remember my presence. Do you understand me?"
In a monotone voice, he repeated, "I didn't see you. I will not remember your presence here."
"Very good," Barnabas said. He continued to hold eye contact with the man. "Where is the entrance to the underground government lab?"
The man pointed to the far end section of the garage. "It is over there."
The vampire looked at where he was pointing. All he saw was a wall. "I don't see an entrance."
"Walk around the glass. It is a one way glass. On the other side, it appears to be storage. Behind the stuff stored there, there is a camera. You have to look into the camera. The guard on duty passes all employees in and out."
That was a problem. How was he supposed to get by the guard? He wasn't going to be recognized as an employee. He drew the man's attention again. "Are you authorized to entered the lab?"
"Yes, of course. I am in charge of the security of the lab and those that work there," he answered.
"Very good. Now, you are going to come with me. I assume you were on your rounds, is that right?" the vampire asked.
"Yes, you are correct."
"You will tell the guard you are done with your rounds and want to be admitted. Do I make myself clear?" Barnabas asked him.
"Crystal," the guard said.
Barnabas expected a yes or no answer. If he hadn't heard Willie answer one of his questions with that word, he wouldn't have a clue what he meant by it. "Let's go." The vampire took him by the arm and led him to the entrance indicated by the guard. They walked around the glass. "Alright, talk to the guard. Don't mention me or the fact that you didn't finish your rounds." Nodding at the guard, the vampire disappeared and waited.
The guard reached up and pressed his finger between two of the blocks of cement. A voice sounded over a speaker that was not visible. Barnabas wondered where it was coming from. "Yes?"
"It's me, Ray. Pass me through."
"You done with your rounds already?"
"Yeah. Everything is quiet up here," the guard told his man.
He heard a short buzzard and a door opened. It seem to appear out of no where. The man walked into the elevator. Barnabas returned to human form and stepped inside. He pressed 24 on the key pad. The elevator started down slowly and then picked up speed. It stopped on the 24th level. The elevator opened. The man stepped out. Barnabas turned into mist form and moved along the ceiling. He thought there would be less chance of anyone noticing him. He looked below. The guard was beginning to come out of the hold Barnabas put on him.
Remembering the instructions Mosley gave him, Barnabas turned to his right. There was a sign above the door, identifying the room as the lab. Once again, he returned to his human form. He walked over to the door. It required a code to enter. That made little difference to the vampire. He simply disappeared and reappeared on the other side. To the left was the containment vault exactly where Mosley said it would be. He walked over to it and looked through the glass. He spotted the Posnotis right away on the second shelf. There was a paddle lock on the door of the chamber. That presented no problem at all to the vampire. He took it in his hand and with his vampiric strength, crushed the lock. He removed it from the chamber and opened it. Inside everything looked in order.
Barnabas removed twenty vials of Posnotis. He hoped it would be enough for the serum Mosely would tweak, thereby creating one that would allow Dracula's vampires to walk in the daylight. Now came the hard part of his mission. How was he going to get the vials out of the building? In fact, why had he received no resistance at all? Was the government this careless with something that could kill thousands in an instance?
It was then Barnabas realized why he had been able to move freely around the facility. The cameras! They were everywhere. There were at least ten of them in the lab alone. Vampires did not show reflections. Nor would they show up in a camera lens. That was the reason no one realized he was even in the underground facility. Still, none of that answered the question: How was he going to get the Posnotis out of the government lab? He didn't show up in the camera lens, but the vials of Posnotis would. It would appear they were floating down the hall. That would truly get the attention of the guards on duty who would be watching monitors. Barnabas was at a loss. How would he get it out? Time was not on his side. He decided to take the bold approach. He would just deal with whatever came up. Leaving the lab, he headed for the elevator. Sure enough, what appeared as floating vials quickly caught the duty guard's attention. A loud piercing noise sounded all over the facility. Obviously, Barnabas had been discovered. At least the vials of Posnotis had been. Two guards came running down the hall.
"Hey you, stop right there or we'll shoot!"
The vampire expected to see soldiers since it was a government lab, but these men were dressed in regular security uniforms. More guards came from the opposite direction. He didn't have the time or the desire to engage them. Holding the vials and using vampiric speed, Barnabas entered the elevator and pressed the button for ground level.
"Where the hell did he go?" shouted one of the guards.
"Where did who go?" said another. He wasn't about to tell his superiors that a man dressed in a cloak disappeared right in front of them.
The other guards stood there dumbfounded. None of them could believe what they saw, or in this case, what they didn't see. "I didn't see anyone," another guard said.
"Me neither. There isn't anyone here."
"Come on guys, I saw him," said the guard that originally saw Barnabas. He looked over at his partner. "Didn't you see him, Charlie?"
"See who?" He just wasn't sure what he saw. Too many hours on duty with no sleep made him think his eyes were playing tricks on him. Besides, he didn't care what the government was doing in that lab. It had been going on for years and nothing ever seemed to be happening in there.
When the guard realize the others weren't going to back him up, he decided to drop it. "I guess I really didn't see anyone. Must be the lousy lighting in the hall."
Barnabas had never really used the full use of his vampiric powers. He decided this was the time to discover what other vampires had. The sirens were still wailing and guards were running everywhere. The nightwalker used his mind to reach those of every one of them that passed by him. He conveyed to them that he wasn't even there. Despite walking in full view of all of them, they couldn't see him. The vampire wondered why he didn't think of it before he entered.
Once outside of the facility, he realized he wouldn't be able to fly and carry the vials. The only other way for him to travel was to use his speed on the ground. Holding the all-important vials to his body, he moved away from the parking garage at speeds that made it impossible for anyone to see him.
Barnabas arrived in Collinsport and went immediately to the Old House. Opening the double doors, he entered his home. Coming out of the drawing room, Professor Stokes and Dr Mosley greeted him.
"You got the vials. Did you have any trouble?" Mosley asked.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," the vampire answered.
"Barnabas, you didn't . . . "
Before the professor could finish his question, Barnabas answered knowing what concerned Elliott. "I didn't harm anyone, Professor."
Elliott showed obvious relief before Barnabas added, "But I would have if I had needed to. I will not fail Julia." He handed the vials to Mosley. "How long will it take to complete the serum?"
"Not long, but it will take longer to produce enough for your purposes," Mosley responded.
"Then I suggest you get started," Barnabas said. "And doctor, Julia's life is in your hands. Don't fail me."
The doctor wondered if that was a warning of what would come if he did. Not wanting to think about it, he headed into the depths of the Old House to make the serum Collins wanted.
4
Tristan had to make peace with Ramon. Once again, he would have to leave the security and care of his castle in his hands. He didn't like it, but what choice was there. Ramon was at least capable of handling anyone that got out of line. Maybe the two of them could work together after they defeated Collins and Dracula. If he were successful in his plan, fighting them on a large scale would not become necessary.
He went directly to Ramon's chambers. Normally, he would just barge in. Doing that when he was trying to make peace would not be advisable. It would only further to enrage the vampire, so he knocked on the door.
"You may enter," Ramon said from inside.
Tristan opened the door and stepped in. Closing the door, he faced Ramon. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"You and I. I have no doubt you are planning to destroy me once Dracula and Collins are dealt with. I have been doing the same, planning your destruction. The more I have thought about it, the more I believe we both need to take a step back and think about the future. We are both capable of running the council. Neither of us will be able to do so until we get rid of Dracula and Collins, as well as Morgan, Miranda, Eddie and anyone loyal to them. Do you agree?"
"Yes, I agree. And you are right, I have been planning your destruction as well. Your treatment of me is unacceptable."
"You are right, but Ramon, you cannot be so reckless. We must protect our race and allowing vampires to kill at will would end up in our total destruction. The militaries of the world would arm their soldiers with silver bullets, wooden stakes and mallets. They would hunt us down to extinction. What we need to do is take over the world gradually. Raise humans as if they were cattle for food. They could go on with their lives which would be only to serve us. Ramon, you and I could lead our kind to victory, but it will never happen if we are at odds with each other."
Ramon wondered if Tristan was being sincere or was it just a trick to get him to let his guard down. "How can I trust you after all that has happened?"
"Will my word be good enough for you?" Tristan said, knowing he always kept his word and was known for it.
Ramon thought about it. Tristan took pride in his word. Maybe he had come to his senses at last. "Alright, but if you betray me, I . . . "
"I won't and I have complete confidence you won't betray me either. We have to trust each other if we are going to get through this. Do we have a truce?"
Ramon thought for a moment and then said, "We do."
Relieved, Tristan continued. "I have found out who knows where the time portal is. The boy's name is David Collins. I am going to fly immediately to America to take control of the boy. Then I will travel back to before Dracula became a vampire and kill him. You will travel back to before Collins became a vampire and kill him. Neither will be able to stop us as vampires."
Ramon smiled. "I like it. When shall we leave for America?"
"Just as soon as I can leave the castle in capable hands. Then you and I will rule the world together forever.