Chapter 32
Lucas sighed, massaging his neck wearily as he pushed open the door to the lab. Lex had cried for a long time, finally dozing off into sleep in his arms. He'd gently carried her to his bed, brushing loose hair from her face while pulling up the covers. Too pent up to sleep himself, he'd taken one last glance at her and then headed back to the lab, anxious to view the feedback from the computer.
The hour was late as he walked the deserted hallways, but he knew the moment he entered the lab that he was not alone. A faint tremor of electricity coursed over his body, causing his hair to stand on end.
As the lights flickered to life, Lucas spotted a figure in the corner. 'What are you doing in here? You're not authorized to be in the lab."
"Waiting for you," Dorion replied with a mock smile that displayed his sharp incisors.
"You do realize I'm armed?" Lucas asked as he reached slowly for his gun.
Dorion's smile turned into a predatory sneer. "You do realize your pathetic little weapon won't do you much good against me?"
"It'll slow you down long enough for me to grab a stake."
"Really? I didn't realize you had much call for them on SeaQuest. I'm a rather ... rare breed these days."
"Not rare enough," Lucas muttered with disgust.
Dorion sighed with boredom. "This conversation is quickly becoming dull."
"Then tell me why you were lurking in my lab," Lucas replied shortly as he crossed the room and sat at his computer, his gun still in his hand.
Dorion watched him intently, like a cat watching it's prey. "I heard about what happened tonight with Lex."
Lucas looked up from the monitor. "And?"
"Stay away from her," Dorion replied coldly.
"What?!" Lucas laughed incredulously.
"Stay ... away ... from ... Lex," Dorion said, enunciating each word slowly. His thin body practically vibrated with hostility.
"And if I don't?"
Dorion shrugged. "Accidents happen."
Lucas stood carefully. "I'm a naval officer. You'll be put away for a long time."
Dorion laughed softly. "I'm over a thousand years old. A life sentence for murder will pass by, for me, in the blink of an eye."
Lucas swallowed nervously but stood his ground. "And what would Lex think of you then? She'd despise you and be dead of old age by the time you got out."
"But at least she'd be free of you!" Dorion advanced slowly. 'Free to love another."
"You?" Lucas raised his gun slowly. "You honestly believe Lex would love you after you'd killed me? Do you know so little of humanity that you believe that? Or is it that you've been a corpse for so long, you have no humanity left in you?"
Dorion lunged. Lucas aimed and squeezed the trigger. The laser shot sent Dorion flying across the room, smashing into a shelf of vials. Shards of glass rained down upon the floor as Dorion stood and began to advance again, a fine trail of smoke coming from the burnt hole in his silk shirt.
Lucas fired twice more in rapid succession, each blast hitting Dorion squarely in the chest. Again he flew across the room, crashing into the wall. Again he drew himself up and advanced.
"We could be at this all night," Lucas replied, aiming once more. "I must admit, target practice has never been this much fun."
Dorion yelled as he burst forward. Lucas grimaced and fired again. Dorion flew backward, falling behind the jumble of toppled shelves and equipment. Lucas shook his head in annoyance, preparing for the next onslaught. But Dorion didn't rise.
Wondering if the constant barrage of laser fire had finally overcome the arrogant vampire, he cautiously moved forward, all of his senses on alert.
His grip on the weapon tightened as he drew near the area where Dorion had fallen. But there was nothing there except broken glass.
Frozen in place, Lucas slowly cast his gaze across the room. Nothing in front and nothing on either side. That left only one place. Lucas whipped around.
"You lose," Dorion said with a growl as he knocked the gun from Lucas' hand. "Did you really think you could beat me?"
Lucas grunted as he was flung across the room, narrowly missing his computer and instead crashing into the far wall. His body ached as he rolled onto his back.
He searched frantically for his gun, only to find it laying too far out of reach. Then he looked up.
Dorion was flying across the room, landing lightly and straddling Lucas' waist. "Oh, how I'm going to enjoy this," he hissed as his lips bared his fangs.
"Enough!" came an angry shout from the doorway. Dorion froze in place, his lean body shaking with suppressed anger and energy.
"Get off, Dorion," Sean said from just inside the door, "and back away."
"This doesn't involve you," Dorion retorted.
"It does involve me," Sean answered, his Scottish brogue thick with anger. "Since it was I who vouched for your behaviour."
With one last glare at Lucas, Dorion unfurled himself and sauntered a few feet away. Lucas stood as well, though not as gracefully. "Thanks," he said to Sean.
Sean nodded at him, and then turned stormy eyes to Dorion. "You can't have survived over a millennium by being a fool. Don't start now, over this."
"You don't know what-"
"I DO know your feelings towards Alexandria!" Sean snarled. "But killing off the competition won't help. You have no more control over your heart than she does over hers!"
Dorion glared at Sean, his chest heaving with rage. Then he turned and stormed out of the room.
"I'll help you see to this mess," Sean replied calmly as he began picking his way through the rubble once they were alone.
Lucas could only stare at him in stunned silence.
Lucas sighed, massaging his neck wearily as he pushed open the door to the lab. Lex had cried for a long time, finally dozing off into sleep in his arms. He'd gently carried her to his bed, brushing loose hair from her face while pulling up the covers. Too pent up to sleep himself, he'd taken one last glance at her and then headed back to the lab, anxious to view the feedback from the computer.
The hour was late as he walked the deserted hallways, but he knew the moment he entered the lab that he was not alone. A faint tremor of electricity coursed over his body, causing his hair to stand on end.
As the lights flickered to life, Lucas spotted a figure in the corner. 'What are you doing in here? You're not authorized to be in the lab."
"Waiting for you," Dorion replied with a mock smile that displayed his sharp incisors.
"You do realize I'm armed?" Lucas asked as he reached slowly for his gun.
Dorion's smile turned into a predatory sneer. "You do realize your pathetic little weapon won't do you much good against me?"
"It'll slow you down long enough for me to grab a stake."
"Really? I didn't realize you had much call for them on SeaQuest. I'm a rather ... rare breed these days."
"Not rare enough," Lucas muttered with disgust.
Dorion sighed with boredom. "This conversation is quickly becoming dull."
"Then tell me why you were lurking in my lab," Lucas replied shortly as he crossed the room and sat at his computer, his gun still in his hand.
Dorion watched him intently, like a cat watching it's prey. "I heard about what happened tonight with Lex."
Lucas looked up from the monitor. "And?"
"Stay away from her," Dorion replied coldly.
"What?!" Lucas laughed incredulously.
"Stay ... away ... from ... Lex," Dorion said, enunciating each word slowly. His thin body practically vibrated with hostility.
"And if I don't?"
Dorion shrugged. "Accidents happen."
Lucas stood carefully. "I'm a naval officer. You'll be put away for a long time."
Dorion laughed softly. "I'm over a thousand years old. A life sentence for murder will pass by, for me, in the blink of an eye."
Lucas swallowed nervously but stood his ground. "And what would Lex think of you then? She'd despise you and be dead of old age by the time you got out."
"But at least she'd be free of you!" Dorion advanced slowly. 'Free to love another."
"You?" Lucas raised his gun slowly. "You honestly believe Lex would love you after you'd killed me? Do you know so little of humanity that you believe that? Or is it that you've been a corpse for so long, you have no humanity left in you?"
Dorion lunged. Lucas aimed and squeezed the trigger. The laser shot sent Dorion flying across the room, smashing into a shelf of vials. Shards of glass rained down upon the floor as Dorion stood and began to advance again, a fine trail of smoke coming from the burnt hole in his silk shirt.
Lucas fired twice more in rapid succession, each blast hitting Dorion squarely in the chest. Again he flew across the room, crashing into the wall. Again he drew himself up and advanced.
"We could be at this all night," Lucas replied, aiming once more. "I must admit, target practice has never been this much fun."
Dorion yelled as he burst forward. Lucas grimaced and fired again. Dorion flew backward, falling behind the jumble of toppled shelves and equipment. Lucas shook his head in annoyance, preparing for the next onslaught. But Dorion didn't rise.
Wondering if the constant barrage of laser fire had finally overcome the arrogant vampire, he cautiously moved forward, all of his senses on alert.
His grip on the weapon tightened as he drew near the area where Dorion had fallen. But there was nothing there except broken glass.
Frozen in place, Lucas slowly cast his gaze across the room. Nothing in front and nothing on either side. That left only one place. Lucas whipped around.
"You lose," Dorion said with a growl as he knocked the gun from Lucas' hand. "Did you really think you could beat me?"
Lucas grunted as he was flung across the room, narrowly missing his computer and instead crashing into the far wall. His body ached as he rolled onto his back.
He searched frantically for his gun, only to find it laying too far out of reach. Then he looked up.
Dorion was flying across the room, landing lightly and straddling Lucas' waist. "Oh, how I'm going to enjoy this," he hissed as his lips bared his fangs.
"Enough!" came an angry shout from the doorway. Dorion froze in place, his lean body shaking with suppressed anger and energy.
"Get off, Dorion," Sean said from just inside the door, "and back away."
"This doesn't involve you," Dorion retorted.
"It does involve me," Sean answered, his Scottish brogue thick with anger. "Since it was I who vouched for your behaviour."
With one last glare at Lucas, Dorion unfurled himself and sauntered a few feet away. Lucas stood as well, though not as gracefully. "Thanks," he said to Sean.
Sean nodded at him, and then turned stormy eyes to Dorion. "You can't have survived over a millennium by being a fool. Don't start now, over this."
"You don't know what-"
"I DO know your feelings towards Alexandria!" Sean snarled. "But killing off the competition won't help. You have no more control over your heart than she does over hers!"
Dorion glared at Sean, his chest heaving with rage. Then he turned and stormed out of the room.
"I'll help you see to this mess," Sean replied calmly as he began picking his way through the rubble once they were alone.
Lucas could only stare at him in stunned silence.