Source Blood Chapter. Yay :) Another new chapter should be up tomorrow (if I'm not too busy, one of my friends might be swinging by to lend me some movies, and if they do expect a lot of updates). The next chapter is already mostly planned though, so that's good. And I know I've been saying this since chapter ten, but this time we really do only have one or two chapters left. But I have a sequel planned that you shouldn't have to wait too long for. Or who knows? I have a Doctor Who fic I want to finished first, plus a one shot/possible series that's teslen, so maybe it will be a while before I get around to the sequel. Anyway, enjoy.
Disclaimer
Two weeks later, the Five were seated in the office Gregory had given to Helen as a graduation present. Helen was sitting in a chair in the center of the room with John kneeling on her right, watching her with a mixture of pride and concern. James stood behind her in full protective mode, his hands clasped in front of him as he watched with narrowed eyes. Nigel stood in a corner, leaning against the wall as he too watched. Kiri was sitting on Helen's desk. Despite choosing not to inject herself, Kiri had insisted that she be there, not willing to let Helen and Nikola especially go through with it without her there. Nikola was standing next to Kiri, slowly drawing a dose of the serum into a hypodermic needle.
"It's ready," he told them, turning to face the room. Nigel suddenly took half a step forward.
"You don't have to go first. John or I could have a go to start," he remarked, his face full of concern.
"He's right. No need for unnecessary heroics. The side-effects are completely unknown," added James, placing a hand on Helen's shoulder. Helen glanced at all of them, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She looked up at Nikola and Kiri, who both had looks that told her they were with her no matter what she chose.
"Thank you, gentlemen. But this experiment was of my design. I shall be the one to prove its worth," she finally said, giving them a small smile. John reached out and took her hand, stroking it gently with his thumb.
"Helen, are you certain?" he questioned.
"We've risked too much to turn back now. We need to know." Helen turned back to Nikola, who was waiting patiently for her decision. "You may proceed, Niko." She nodded at him, and the Serbian walked over to kneel in front of her. He caught her gaze one last time, and she nodded again reassuringly. She moved her gaze to Kiri as Nikola pressed the needle into her arm. Kiri held her gaze, smiling reassuringly. Nikola pressed down the plunger, and Helen gasped in pain, squeezing Nikola's and John's hands tightly. Her eyes widened as she turned to face John. Instantly Kiri was off the table and moving forwards, but James walked around to stop her. Helen's body tensed, and for a moment she stopped breathing and her eyes flashed black. Just as suddenly as it had started, the pain ended and Helen was left gasping for breath on the chair. John moved so he was in front of her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
"How are you, darling?" he questioned gently.
"Tired," Helen responded quietly, still trying to catch her breath. She remained sitting for a few moments more in case there were any other side effects. She finally stood, albeit shakily, and moved aside so John could sit down. Once he was seated, Helen filled a needle and walked over to inject him. Now that she had gone through the experience and seemed relatively healthy, the other four were much less nervous, and John even seemed rather cocky about the whole thing. He had a smirk on his face as Helen injected him, and he tried desperately to hide how much pain he was in, though he let out a small gasp. After a few seconds, the pain seemed to subside, and John was in the process of standing when he disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.
"John?" Helen called out uncertainly. There were a few seconds of tense silence before John walked in from the hallway, a curious expression on his face.
"That was the most peculiar experience. I do believe I just teleported," he commented, looking around at all of them.
"Were there any ill effects?" James inquired, furrowing his brow.
"Not that I can tell. I feel completely normal, considering I just traveled six rooms down the hallway in under five seconds," answered John, shrugging. It was James's turn next, and he sat down with an interested look on his face. This time it was Nigel who injected him, and again there was the few seconds of pain, followed by a second or two of silence. Suddenly James grabbed his head, doubling over and letting out a long shout of pain. Nikola had to hold Kiri back again, as she tried to go to James.
"James?" she asked, her face a perfect picture of fear. After almost a full minute, James let go of his head, looking up and catching Kiri's gaze.
"I'm alright, Kiri," he assured her, smiling weakly. Helen helped him to stand, and Nigel took his seat. John injected Nigel, and after the pain subsided the younger man vanished, only his clothes remaining visible, appearing to be on an invisible statue.
"Nigel?" Nikola asked slowly.
"I'm here, Nikola. I appear to have…disappeared." Nigel chuckled lightly at his own joke while the others glanced at each other. After a few minutes, Nigel reappeared, blinking. He stood and moved aside, and Nikola sat, taking a deep breath. Despite the fact that the other four had gone through the process relatively unscathed, he was still nervous. He had requested that Kiri be the one to inject the serum, and Helen measured out a dose before handing it to the younger woman.
"Srećno," she whispered as she began to inject the serum. Like the others, Nikola gasped in pain and his eyes flashed black. Unlike the others, however, the pain did not stop after a few seconds, and long claws sprouted from Nikola's fingers. He gasped, revealing a pair of razor sharp fangs in his mouth. He seemed disoriented for a few seconds before his eyes strayed to Kiri's. There were several tense minutes where the only sound was Nikola's panting as the pair held each other's gaze. Finally, Nikola seemed to calm down and his eyes, hands, and teeth returned to normal. Before anyone could say anything, though, he collapsed. Kiri and Helen both caught him, glancing at each other.
Srećno – good luck