Tesla was pleased when his lunch arrived, as promised, with wine, light bulbs, and Helen's notes. But he was overjoyed that all of it was delivered on a handy metal tray. He spent the following half hour allowing his lunch to get cold as he tested various theories with the tray. First he stood on the tray and generated a magnetic field to lift himself up to replace the bulbs. Then he used his abilities to generate force to slam the tray against the clear barrier wall in hopes of shattering it. He was impressed when the blows caused only small scars to the surface of the transparent wall but battered and bent the tray until it was practically useless. For a while he stood examining the clear material, but was unable to determine what it was without having any tools. Then he straightened the tray out and ate his lunch.
Needing food again was a discomfort Nikola secretly relished. As a half-vampire, there was little flavor in food. Wine had been the only solace for his taste buds, which had constantly craved blood in a way that was always a mild distraction. Dead animal flesh had revolted him, and, while digestion continued in its normal course, his body hadn't actually required calories to subsist. He now ate several now-cold slices of roast beef with gusto, enjoying the sated feeling it brought. Sipping burgundy and absently picking at the French roll and also now-cooled sautéed green beans on his plate, he opened Helen's notes and began to read. Time passed quickly as he swiftly absorbed the content of her work.
"How insulting." He said petulantly, finally reaching her description of his most recent episode when in the grips of a rage. "Irrational, reckless, and homicidal, indeed. I don't recall being reckless."
"Reckless is your neutral, Nikola." Helen's mild voice cut into his muttering. "Or was destroying one of our lab trays an act of restraint?" He looked up to find her standing on the other side of the scarred clear partition. She was inspecting the damage to the wall.
"I destroyed that tray in the spirit of scientific inquiry." Tesla said sanctimoniously. He picked up the cloth napkin that had arrived with his lunch and fastidiously wiped his hands and lips. "What the devil is this partition made of?"
"When we figure out how to fix your mutation problem, I'll tell you. I think even you will be impressed, Nikola."
"I am already impressed, Miss Magnus." He replied magnanimously. Rising gracefully, he took the notebook he was reading and strolled to stand in front of her. She looked at him sadly through the barrier.
"I hate to keep you like this, Nikola. But until we determine what is causing these rages and how to stop them, you must understand that I can't have any more destruction and I especially can't have anyone else thrown through windows. First floor or otherwise." Helen's face pleaded with him to understand. She pressed a palm to the window between them.
"I know." Nikola replied in a rare moment of sincerity. He looked at her hand then slowly lifted his hand and placed his palm against hers, absolving her. "You're just one big soft spot, Helen."
He dropped his hand and took a step back from her, smoothing out his expression. "That girl with the tranquilizer dart was really the primary offense. I was working up to going quietly, of course."
"Kate is a little trigger happy, I'll admit, and she wasn't at her best. She had just finished getting thirty-two stitches." Helen said. Nikola had the grace to consider this with a frown.
"Do you need a blood sample for your work with my cells?" He asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"I seem to have a lot of your blood on hand." Helen said in reply, which a twitch of her lips. "The vibrations and electrical currents actually seem to originate on the cellular level. Once the cells die – and as I said before, it takes a lot to kill them – the properties cease to exist."
"I'm sorry to inform you that I don't consider death an acceptable remedy." Nikola said, affronted.
She sighed. "I wasn't suggesting that we attempt to kill you. Good Lord, Nikola! We just need to either find a way to make your cells more resilient so they stop mutating and causing the rages, or find a way to siphon or…channel…your destructive energy away from your body."
Tesla dropped his head backwards in exasperation. "So either copper soled shoes, which will break my shoemaker's heart, or genetic engineering? What's behind door number three?"
"I don't know yet, but I think your shoes are safe for now."
Tesla looked dotingly down at his shining black balmorals then met Helen's gaze urgently. "Let me out, Helen. Let me work on this too. You can lock me in my lab during the day and in here at night if you're concerned about security, but you must know that sitting here helpless and useless is torture for me."
Helen swallowed hard and fought with herself. His eyes held no mocking amusement. They were soft and earnest like they had been all those years ago at Oxford when the two of them had been so close. She sometimes dreamed of those eyes. "I can't." She whispered. "Forgive me, Nikola."
The smooth mask was back and his lips curved. "I'll forgive you anything, my dear." He drawled, his eyes sliding away to a corner of the room.
"Oh Nikola, don't do that." She begged softly.
"Do what? You're probably right. I'd pitch that irritating protégé of yours off a turret and blame it on the mutation." Nikola smirked.
"Give me one more day. You haven't had an episode in twelve hours. If that continues, we'll discuss…"
Tesla interrupted. "Work release?"
Helen's face fell. She still felt guilty.
"Ohw, Helen, have a sense of humor!" Nikola scoffed. "Fine, you have twenty four hours to cure me."
"I am trying my best, Nikola."
"And your best is the best, my dear." Tesla said with a charming smile. "Now give the prisoner a smile to get him through the lonely night."
Helen's cheeks dimpled, fighting a smile. "I'll be back for lunch tomorrow." She shook a finger at him. "Behave yourself until then."
"Oh, yes ma'am." Nikola said in an intrigued tone, his eyes gleaming as they swept over her. "You know, I've never understood the schoolteacher fantasy until this moment but it really works for me. Do you have a pair of glasses you could wear?"
Helen rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, Nikola. I'll be back." She swung around and headed for the lab.