Chapter Seventeen
"I am not leaving you here," Agatha warned as Dracula continued to manoeuvre his way between herself and Jack Seward. Irritation rattled through her veins but it was because their current situation was mostly her own fault. The moment she had learnt that her impersonation of Zoe had persuaded Dr Seward that his mentor was still alive, Agatha had wanted to make amends. Her niece had thought very highly of Jack and Agatha had been equally impressed; he had been Zoe's only visitor at the hospital, had willingly entered Dracula's lair despite the risks involved and had bravely staked Lucy when the poor child had begged for an end to her own suffering. Dracula had not been quite so invested in righting the wrong that they had committed, suggesting that it could be some kind of trap; a quick review of Dracula's previous encounters with the Harker Foundation had suggested there was little risk involved with meeting the doctor. But she had underestimated the Foundation and, perhaps, Jack Seward as well.
Moving to one side thwarted Dracula's attempt to shield her and allowed a much better view of Jack. The young man was still crouched over the mercenary that she herself had felled, a canister in his hand and a hardness in his eyes that had not been present before. When he'd first seen her in the cemetery there had been an initial burst of recognition, swiftly followed by relief and warmth; even the truth about her own identity hadn't managed to cool the temperature of their conversation but it had dropped considerably once she'd admitted that Dracula was close by. The fear that had subsequently filled Jack's eyes had given her little hesitation in leaving him unattended whilst she went to Dracula's aid but the doctor had, surprisingly, not taken the opportunity to flee.
Wary of startling the man who was currently only aiming vicious glares in her direction, Agatha rose slowly to her feet. Her intention was to place herself in between both men but Dracula, realising what she was about to do, mirrored her movements and stood up, though his actions were more sluggish than her own. Dracula's hand held on to her arm tightly and she wasn't sure if he was silently warning her not to move any closer to Jack or holding on for support. "Let me deal with Dr Seward," she suggested softly.
"Agatha, that stuff is toxic," Dracula argued back, his tone as firm as his grip on her arm.
"I know," she agreed, the sight of his blood-shot eyes, peeking out from his blood-smeared face, as he steadied himself beside her was proof enough of the weapon's effect. Moving quickly, she stepped in front of Dracula before he could protest further. She could not shield him completely from any incoming spray - he was taller and broader than she was - but she could take the worst of it should Jack attempt to use the weapon. And the contents of the canister were not potent enough to knock out a vampire with just one burst; she had lost count of how many times Dracula had taken a direct hit and he was still standing - just about, anyway.
Thankfully, Dracula remained in place behind her, silently acquiescing to her demand though one hand remained wrapped around her upper arm. Satisfied that he had relented, Agatha focussed her attention on the young man in front of her. Jack had also scrambled to his feet and was now fiddling with the canister, his eyes darting between her and the weapon in his hands, making her wait for the next upsweep of his gaze to ask, "I do not believe that it is me you want to destroy, is it Dr Seward?"
"No," Jack agreed, his finger finally finding the trigger of the weapon and nestling there dangerously. He held up one hand, pointing the nozzle of the spray at both Agatha and Dracula, "But you're just like him: a vampire."
That he didn't immediately unleash the contents of the weapon was a reassuring sign. Her strong resemblance to Zoe had stood her in good stead this far but now that Jack was faced with the monster who had taken away the love of his life the Van Helsing bloodline might no longer be sufficient. And Jack had just witnessed her strike a man down to protect Dracula.
"Not quite like Count Dracula," Agatha countered, offering Jack a small smile before continuing. "I have only walked this Earth as a vampire for a short time but I have never bitten a mortal and spread the foul curse that now afflicts me. Nor have I taken a life; it is far too precious a gift. And the reality is that I don't have to, Dr Seward; neither does Count Dracula. This century is full of many wonders, not least the ability to extract and store blood, and a willing supply of volunteers to make donations. There is no need for anyone to get hurt ever again."
Jack's features, which had remained impassive throughout Agatha's statement, twisted with contempt at the last few words. "They look hurt," he countered, nodding his head towards the bodies that were strewn about the cemetery though he kept his eyes firmly on the vampires.
"That was self-defence; they attacked Count Dracula first," Agatha defended strongly. Whilst she had not observed the lead up to the melee - Dracula had already been on his feet by the time she had realised that the Harker Foundation was also attending the meeting - she had seen the mercenary make the first move and felt confident in the veracity of her response. Whilst they had not come here with the intention of harming anyone, Dracula had reminded her, just before he had reluctantly left her beside the bench to meet with Jack, that he would do whatever was necessary to protect her should the need arise and she had reluctantly accepted those terms.
Given the various heartbeats within ear-shot it seemed that Dracula had not been quite as ruthless as the day he'd walked in to the belly of the Harker Foundation and slaughtered everyone within biting distance - sans Bloxham - in order to secure her own release. A faint odour of blood hung in the air, making the thready pulse rates even more appealing, but she was pleased that Dracula had not bitten anyone. Despite her own status as a vampire she still felt that un-death was a fate worse than death itself. "And they will live," she added on when the young doctor remained silent.
"Actually, I believe that large one over there is already dead," Dracula interjected, his tone threatening and directed entirely at Dr Seward. When Agatha twisted around to shoot him a warning glare, he softened his tone to defend his actions, his eyes fixed on hers as he gave an explanation that could still be construed as a threat towards the mortal, "I did not like the way he spoke about you, my love."
"Love?" Jack spat out the word with a mixture of bitterness and disbelief, breaking the gaze that the two vampires were sharing. When they both immediately turned their respective attentions towards him - Dracula with a deep scowl and Agatha with a small frown - he aimed his question, and most of his contempt, at the female vampire, "Is that why you're protecting him?"
Agatha frowned further, both at the accusation thrown so bitterly at her and at the way Dracula tensed against her back. Pressing her elbow into his belly was sufficient to repel any attack he may have been considering but coming up with a response to Jack's question required more thought. In reality the answer was a simple 'yes' but the doctor probably already knew that; making him understand why she loved Dracula was an impossibility that she had neither the time nor the desire to even attempt. There was nothing she could say about Dracula that would be able to change Lucy Westenra's fate.
It would also mean revealing the truth about the rules of the beast and that was not her secret to share: it was hers to cherish. Dracula's shame had led to the construction of rules that had set out to protect mortals not himself; the true believers, those who shunned the dark of the night and refused to invite the devils inside had remained safe for centuries until the truth behind those rules had been lost to even Dracula himself. And when she'd shone a light on them Dracula had faced his greatest fear, had been willing to sacrifice everything, for her.
"I'm protecting Count Dracula because the Harker Foundation wish to study him for nefarious purposes," Agatha replied instead. It wasn't strictly a lie and it would divert the conversation back to more pertinent ground; if Jack was helping the Harker Foundation then he needed to know exactly what he was involved with. "They have no intention of helping humanity."
"That's not true," Jack said, shifting restlessly on his feet. The hand holding the weapon wavered slightly, too.
"They ran out of money some time ago, Dr Seward, and my niece was obliged to seek more funding from some very unscrupulous sources in order to continue her research. And those sources have objectives that are more dangerous than Dracula himself," Agatha persevered. Even from inside her niece's body she had been unable to discover just who Zoe had reached out to for money but that sense of shame over its origins seemed ample evidence that the funding had come from some unethical sources. But Agatha could understand why Zoe had made her own 'deal with the devil'.
The Harker Foundation had been passed down through the generations and every attempt at discovering the wreck of the Demeter had failed miserably; her niece had never imagined being the Van Helsing who would actually succeed. Zoe's intentions once Dracula had been retrieved had been much clearer; she had let him go after the vaguest of legal threats from Frank and had drank the only blood sample the Foundation had managed to extract. Dracula had insisted that the latter was his doing but Agatha knew from experience that only a little encouragement was needed to persuade Zoe if the intention was already there; some prompting from herself had seen Zoe rallying Jack Seward into service and dragging her aching body across London to confront Count Dracula.
"Then destroying Count Dracula is the only option," Jack argued, his hand raising a little higher and towards the taller vampire.
Behind her, Dracula tensed once more, his hand gripping her arm tightly, but Agatha only breathed a small sigh of relief. The Harker Foundation wanted Dracula alive - or un-dead- so it seemed unlikely that Jack Seward was working with them; that would also explain why he had not known about her retrieval from the bottom of the sea or that vampires could walk in direct sunlight unharmed. She could only surmise that the Foundation had been surveilling the doctor ever since he had reached out to them for help and that's how they had shown up today, ready and willing to try out their new weapon.
The canister really was an ingenious device and she couldn't help but admire the Harker Foundation's abilities and resources; their laboratories put her workshop to shame and if circumstances had been different she would have willingly worked with the Foundation for the betterment of mankind. As it was, she would have to disassemble and study the weapon, and her own abilities, somewhere safe. But first, she had to get both herself and Dracula somewhere safe. "That sounds more like revenge, Dr Seward," Agatha suggested as Jack continued not to make the first move.
"He killed Lucy," Jack said, his voice wavering only slightly though his aim remained steady and directed at Count Dracula. "And Zoe died trying to stop him."
"Lucy wanted to be just like me," Dracula rebutted, leaning over Agatha's shoulder to aim his words at the young man, though he made no attempt to physically attack Dr Seward. "And Zoe-"
A quick jab in Dracula's stomach with her elbow was enough to stop him from completing that sentence. Jack, on the other hand, riled up by Dracula's words, looked ready to kill both of them and yet he continued to hesitate. Agatha wasn't sure why but she was certain that time was running out; the Harker Foundation could still be in the vicinity, quietly plotting the next attack, or the authorities could be on their way, called there by visitors to the cemetery who had witnessed the brawl and subsequently fled the scene. "Your thirst for justice is understandable, Dr Seward, but I can't let you slake it. Whatever is inside that canister will not be sufficient to destroy a vampire; you must know that. I do not wish to hurt you but if you decide to use that weapon anyway, I will be forced to retaliate."
For a long moment Jack remained defiant, the weapon aimed over Agatha's shoulder at Dracula and a scowl on his face. But eventually the hand holding the spray dropped to his side, the reality of his situation suddenly undeniable. And perhaps uncertain as he asked, "So I can just walk away? Again?"
"Yes," Dracula agreed quickly. "And make haste, Dr Seward."
"You no longer need to be concerned with Count Dracula. Or myself," Agatha soothed, ignoring the urge to jab Dracula with her elbow once again. Although he had interrupted a couple of times he had mostly let her deal with the doctor and she was pleased by that; if they were going to last forever they would need to do so together. His grip on her arm had relaxed considerably now that Jack had lowered the weapon and whilst she suspected that meant he had only held on to her so that he could push her out of the way should the need arise she was grateful that he was in better shape than she'd first feared.
Jack rolled the canister in his fingers, quietly contemplating Agatha's words for a few moments before eventually admitting defeat. The weapon dropped to the grass with a soft thud but he hesitated for another moment or two before asking, "What are you going to do?"
"Live," Agatha supplied though she suspected that it would not be so simple. The Harker Foundation were a threat that would have to be dealt with; Dracula would likely want to strike back but they'd have to find a way to do so without incurring more deaths.
The doctor shot her a wry smile in response before taking a small step backwards.
"Jack," Agatha called, stopping the young man from moving any further away. Time was still in short supply but there was one more thing that she wanted to impart before they went their separate ways and she likely never saw him again or he was an old man the next time their paths crossed. And this was one of the main reasons that she'd been so insistent on meeting with Dr Seward; the modern term was 'gaining closure' but she just wanted him to know the truth. "Both Lucy and Zoe are resting in this cemetery. Their ashes were scattered in the garden of remembrance."
Jack nodded once, some of that earlier warmth returning to his eyes, "Thank you."